


MistleTony

by catemonsterq



Series: Love Me Good (Oh, Daddy) [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bondage, Christmas, Christmas Party, Daddy Kink with No Age Play, F/M, Fluff, Light BDSM, Light daddy kink, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Secret Santa, Slow Burn, Spanking, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-10-24 20:42:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 39,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catemonsterq/pseuds/catemonsterq
Summary: It's Secret Santa time at Avengers Tower and Darcy finds herself with a conundrum- of course, she would wind up pulling Tony Stark's name from the hat. What exactly does one get a genius, billionaire, playboy....especially when that person also happens to be your crush? Darcy has a month to find the perfect present without kissing him senseless. Hint: she doesn't make it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a new Darcy/Tony! This is a 39,097 word/14 chapter story that will be posted 1 chapter a day over the next 2 weeks. This story covers Tony and Darcy getting together and is chronologically the first story of my Tony/Darcy series Love Me Good (Oh, Daddy). It's going to take a few chapters to earn the E rating, but it'll be worth it once we get there. As with all the other stories in this series, it does have some Daddy kink, but there's no actual age play involved, just cuteness with nicknames. I hope you enjoy this story!

“Oh my God, Lewis, could you not?” Tony called out as he approached Darcy’s desk in her office.

“I’m sorry,” Darcy replied as she took out her earbuds and looked up at him, “What was it you were asking?”

“Are you trying to piss me off?” 

“Uh,” Darcy stared at him, “I don’t know?”

Tony threw up his hands up in exasperation, “That…that ridiculous piece of technology. That…that thing!” he said as he pointed to Darcy’s old iPod from college. “What is it doing here? Why do you still have it? Didn’t I outlaw all non-Stark Industries devices from this tower?” Tony asked with an aggrieved tone. “Don’t answer that, J,” he added quickly. 

Darcy smiled, “This is my iPod, and just because I work in the Stark Industries building does not mean I have to use Stark Industries equipment.”

“Right,” Tony agreed, pulling out the chair that was across from her desk and taking a seat. “But I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just use the Stark tech. It’s bigger and better in every way,” he winked at her, his smile growing wider. 

Darcy shrugged, a small grin forming on her face, “Is that so?” She intended to wait for a beat before continuing on, letting the moment fizzle but not quite die out. Instead, she found her gaze lingering on his soft lips and the facial hair surrounding it. Tony coughed, a knowing grin on his face, startling Darcy out of her daze. “I, um…I’ve got tracks on this thing that are lost to time. I can’t sync it with a computer at all or I’ll lose my entire collection of mixtapes from old boyfriends. Some of them actually had good taste in music.”

“Pssh,” Tony sputtered, the awkwardness from a moment ago already forgotten. “Nonsense. Jarvis could get those from that decrepit device in no time and have your new StarkPod setup just like your current…thing is,” he finished lamely, apparently unwilling to even speak of the iPod's name. 

“Color me surprised,” Darcy said with an eye roll. “Anyway, I like the click wheel. I’ve been distrustful of touch screens ever since my mom’s PDA broke in 2001.”

“Christ, Lewis, do you think technology just stopped advancing with Y2K?” Tony asked incredulously, standing up and skirting around the desk until he was comfortably leaning on it a few inches from Darcy.

“No, of course not,” she turned in her chair, her knee bumping up against his leg, “But what happens when the touch screen stops working and I’m stuck listening to nothing but ‘I Love Rock ‘n Roll’ every day for all of eternity?”

“You said it yourself, Kid. You work in the Stark Industries building. It stops working, you come find me and I replace it for you. It’s that simple,” he reached out a hand to grab at her iPod.

“Fair,” Darcy shrugged as she pulled the device out of his reach. “But no piece of Stark technology is going to have this,” she grinned as she showed Tony the back of it. There was a scribbled black signature there with a peeling piece of clear mailing tape placed over it, the edges of the tape poking up from too much time spent in being pulled in and out of pockets. 

“You think I can’t put a shitty piece of tape on the back of one of my devices?” Tony asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“You can’t get the lead singer of my favorite band from college to sign the back of it for me,” Darcy supplied with a smug grin.

Tony grinned, “How much you wanna bet?” 

“The whole Stark family fortune?” Darcy suggested. When Tony stared blankly at her she continued, “He died in 2010, Tony. There’s no way you’re getting his signature now.”

Reality sunk in for Tony for a few seconds before Darcy could almost see the light bulb go off over his head. “So that’s a collector's item and deserves to be framed and put on display,” he suggested. “I can get that done for you, you know,” he grinned again, letting his own eyes linger on Darcy’s face as the low-grade tension from earlier bubbled back to the surface.

This time it was Darcy who broke it off, the buzz of her phone in her pocket startling her back to reality. “Tony, I have actual work to be doing here. A charity to be running? Was there something you needed from me, or?”

“Oh, right!” He stood up straighter and fished something out of one of the pockets of his pants. “Avengers Initiative Secret Santa, you’ve got to pull a name from this bag.”

“But I’m not an Avenger.”

“But you do run the charity that fixes all the shitty things we’ve done, so you count. Just pick a name, Lewis,” he shook the small velvet bag in front of her face.

Reluctantly Darcy put her hand in the bag, blushing a little as she felt Tony’s hand, supporting the bottom of the bag, squeeze hers gently. She felt around the pieces of paper until she’d settled on one. She drew it out of the bag and kept it closed in her fist. 

“Until next time, Lewis,” Tony smiled at her as he turned and left her office. Once Tony had was gone and she was finally alone again she opened the scrap of paper and smiled to herself at the name she found.

“Tony Stark.”

* * *

Darcy only feigned annoyance at having to participate in the secret Santa exchange. She always loved finding the perfect gift to give someone, one that really showed how she listened to their wants and needs. The only problem is usually she was participating with a close group of friends and the gifts were easy to think of - Tony Stark was just someone she worked alongside occasionally and found herself accidentally flirting with anytime he was near. She didn’t know him very well, though, which made it harder to come up with something. 

Tony’s interruption in her day had come at the exact wrong time. Moments after he left the office she’d gotten sucked into a conference call with the other charity organizations around New York City and it was another hour before she remembered the cell phone notification that had jolted her out of her Tony-filled haze earlier. Her conference call done with, and the clock on her computer ticking ever closer to 5:30, Darcy pulled her phone from her pocket and checked her messages. 

There were a few app notifications she didn’t care about, but down towards the bottom of the screen, she saw a text from Jane. “Got plans for dinner tonight?” was all it read. Darcy packed up her bag quickly and called Jane on her way to the elevator that would take her up to the residential levels of the tower. 

“What’s up, Janey?” 

“What took you so long? I texted you hours ago,” the scientist asked. 

“Tony Stark?” Darcy offered by way of explanation, a sheepish grin on her face. “And a conference call, but I’m off work now and I have no dinner plans thank you very much.” “Good!” Jane replied, “You can tell me all about this Tony thing when you get to the group dinner on the Avengers floor tonight.”

“Do I have time to go home and change first?” Darcy said by way of reply, knowing by now that Jane would not accept no for an answer.

* * *

The common room was nearly empty when Darcy stepped out of the elevator. Only Jane, Thor, and Clint had arrived, which was something of a relief to Darcy. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the full brunt of Tony Stark’s attention again. She circled around the couch to face Jane and Thor, thankful that from her angle she’d be able to see the comings and goings of the elevator traffic.

“Okay, tell me everything,” Jane said eagerly as she pulled Darcy down onto the couch next to her. “Thor, can you get her something to drink? We need some time to talk.” The god got up from the couch with a soft kiss to Jane’s cheek and strode to where Clint sat at the kitchen bar with a full pot of coffee. “I mean, I don’t think there’s that much to tell,” Darcy offered once Thor was safely out of earshot. “He came by my office today to get me to participate in the secret Santa that’s coming up.”

“Ooooh, who’d you get?” Jane asked excitedly. 

“Tony,” Darcy sighed, “I got Tony.”

“Oh,” Jane replied, “I see.”

“What on earth am I supposed to get the billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? He has everything he wants and even if he doesn’t, he could just buy it himself!” 

“Darcy, you are the most thoughtful gift-giver I know. Of course, you’re going to get him the perfect gift.”

“Right, but Janey, you’re my best friend. I know you, so thinking of good things to get you is easy. “

“Okay, well what else happened when he was in your office today? Maybe we can get some ideas from that.” Darcy quickly recounted Tony’s visit from earlier that afternoon, her cheeks reddening as she mentioned the times they’d both gotten caught up in one another. “Ooooh,” Jane’s eyebrows wiggled excitedly by the time Darcy had finished speaking. “Sounds like someone is into you,” she said sing-song tone. 

“Oh, stop it,” Darcy began saying before Jane railroaded over her. 

“No! Don’t even  _ try  _ to tell me you haven’t thought about him when you-”

“Jane, stop!” Darcy called out quickly before lowering her voice. “Of course I have thought about him when I, well, you know. But that doesn’t mean he is interested in me! So he stood close to me, big deal, Clint gets closer when-”

“I honestly can’t decide how I want that sentence to end,” Tony chimed in from behind the women, his voice precariously close to the shell of Darcy’s ear. He strode quickly around the couch and handed Darcy a tumbler half-full with an amber liquid that she was becoming ever more certain she’d need more of before the night was over. “Dr. Foster,” Tony nodded at her, “I believe your suitor has a drink waiting for you at the bar.” 

“I know when I’m being dismissed,” Jane winked at Darcy before she got up and crossed the room to where Thor stood. 

“So,” Tony said quietly as he sat down in the seat Jane had just vacated. “I’m curious,” he continued, one arm draping over the back of the couch and fiddling with the ends of Darcy’s hair. “Does Clint get closer than this?”

Darcy flushed at his question, uncertain how much of the conversation he had overheard. “Clint and I could be mistaken for grinding on each other when we’re both trying to get the first cup of coffee every morning,” she replied once she’d regained some of her footing. It hadn’t been easy with Tony’s fingers so close to her skin she could feel the heat from them.

“I see,” one corner of Tony’s mouth ticked up in a grin, “So this,” he paused for a moment, gaze obviously dropping from Darcy’s eyes, down to her lips, down to the small amount of cleavage her v-neck shirt showed, before pulling his attention back to her eyes. “Gentleman caller, shall we say? I take it he wasn’t standing close enough?”

By the time he’d finished his sentence, the tips of Tony’s fingers were tracing light patterns on the back of Darcy’s neck, sending her nerves into a frenzy of excitement. Her heart was pounding so loud in her chest that she was certain Clint’s hearing aids could pick it up from across the room; the quick glance he shot her way just then confirmed it for her anxious mind. Just like earlier, Darcy found herself staring at Tony’s lips, only now she was leaning closer into his touch. “M-maybe not at that moment in time,” Darcy finally stammered out. 

Tony smiled and squeezed the back of her neck in a reassuring gesture before moving quickly to stand, “Well, we’ll have to be sure to remedy that in the future, won’t we?”


	2. Chapter 2

"Lewis!” Tony said jovially as he took a seat across from Darcy’s desk. 

Darcy had woken up grumpy and was only getting grumpier as the day went on. She knew she should be happy to see Tony, should focus on trying to flirt with him, but at the moment the only thing she really knew how to do was snap back. “You know, I have a first name. It’s right there in front of you,” she said as she gestured to the fancy nameplate her mom had given her when she accepted the job without looking up from her desk. “It wouldn’t hurt you to use it sometimes.” 

“Well, I have a multi-billion dollar tech company and more gadgets than I know what to do with, it wouldn’t hurt  _ you  _ to use some of  _ them  _ every once in a while,” he said as he pointed distastefully at the iPod that was still sitting on her desk. 

“Are we really going to have this discussion every time you come into my office now, Tony?” finally glancing up at him and setting down the papers she’d had in her hands.

“I’d assume it won’t be every time, just until you finally start using a StarkPod. After that, I won’t have any need to discuss your outdated, inferior technology.”

Darcy rolled her eyes, “Did you have a point to this visit or did you just want to insult my technology some more?”

“Oh!” Tony sat up straighter in his chair, “Yes, right. I forgot to tell you, the budget for this year's secret Santa is $25.”

“You couldn’t have sent that in an email?” she asked before she could stop herself. 

“I, uh, wanted to stretch my legs,” Tony said sheepishly as he surveyed the mess of Darcy’s desk. “Um, Darcy?” he said testing out her first name in his mouth. “What exactly are you doing?” He crossed to stand next to her chair and survey her desk from the right viewpoint.

She glanced around at her desk and the papers and envelopes that covered it. “Oh, you know, only the most fun tasks for me. Just stuffing, stamping, and addressing the next round of fundraising mailers to go out.”

“We don’t have interns and lackeys to do this sort of thing?” Tony asked as he put a hand on the back of her chair, fingers just grazing her hair. 

“Nope,” Darcy said as she picked up an envelope and stuffed a flier inside while hoping Tony couldn’t see the blush on her face from where he stood. “I fired them so we could put their salaries towards the Rebuilding New York fund. I can’t keep a good-sized nest egg in that account and there’s no reason I can’t do this job, even if it’s menial.”

“Sure there is,” Tony said dryly as he turned her chair to the side so that she was facing him, “I pay you too much to have you stuffing envelopes.” Her knees were bumping up against his and it was absolutely absurd that she should feel tingly all over just from that little touch. “Jarvis?” he asked as Darcy turned back to her desk, eager to get away from Tony’s touch before she showed all her cards, and continued with her process of applying a stamp and an address sticker. “You see what Lewis is doing here? Can you write a program so we can have Dum-E take over?”

“Certainly, Sir. It should be ready in an hour.”

“Right,” Tony said, turning her chair to face him again. “I’ll be back in an hour to get you set up. Until then, find something more useful to do with your time,” he smiled before he walked out the door. 

Just over an hour later Tony was back in her office, this time with a robot following along behind him. “Oh my god, you weren’t kidding,” Darcy deadpanned. 

“Me? Kidding? I don’t kid, Kid,” Tony said as he pointed to the robot and gestured for him to go to the corner. “Alright, Lewis,” he said, grinning when Darcy pursed her lips at his use of her last name, “This here is Dum-E.”

“I’ve interacted with Dum-E before, Tony.”

“Interacted, yes,” Tony explained, “Worked exclusively with, no. Bring all that stuff over here, let me show you how this is supposed to work.”

Darcy gathered the envelopes, stickers, stamps, and fliers from the top of her desk and pushed her desk chair to where Dum-E sat waiting in the corner. As soon as she was close enough she set the things down on the table in front of the robot and watched as Tony explained the process. She had expected Tony to stand overly-close to her the way he had the last two times he was in her office, but Tony was all engineer with no hint of the playboy to be found.

The explanation took far longer than necessary as Tony over-explained every aspect of the work Dum-E would be doing. Darcy couldn’t help but smile at him as he doted on the robot as if it were his child. There were now ten envelopes stuffed, stamped, and addressed in the time it would have taken her to do a single one on her own. 

“Do you think you can handle it, Lewis?” Tony asked concern written plainly on his face. 

“What, sending emails while monitoring your robot-child? Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Tony sighed, “I know it looks easy, but he gets temperamental and- shoot you don’t have any fire extinguishers in here do you? You should hide them if you do, we’ve had some, uh, problems in the past,” Tony said, though it sounded more like a question. 

“No fire extinguishers. Got it. Thank you again for doing this, Tony,” Darcy smiled as she began walking to her office door.

He stopped before he got very far, turning back to her with a serious look on his face. For a brief moment, Darcy imagined him leaning forward to kiss her. Before she had a chance to linger on that though, Tony was speaking again. “Okay, but if something happens and you-”

“I get it,  _ Dad _ ,” Darcy said exasperatedly, “If things are acting hinky get in touch with you. Now can you leave me alone so I can read my Tiger Beat in peace?”

* * *

“Jarvis,” Tony called to the AI once he was ensconced alone in the elevator. “Send me all relevant personal information for Darcy Lewis.”

“Is that wise, Sir? If I may, it seems-”

“You may not, Jarvis. Since when did you start talking back? Do you want me to remove the code that gives you a personality?”

“Sir, I think we both know that you are the one of us who would suffer the negative consequences of that action.”

Tony grumbled to himself, something about AI’s and their disobedience, before sighing and looking up at the ceiling. “I like her, okay, J? I just want to know how to impress her and was hoping something in her file could help.” 

“Sir, I think you would be better off spending time with Ms. Lewis and learning those things yourself.”

“You think I don’t know that, J? I’m just trying to speed things up a little, help me out here.” Tony’s phone pinged a notification and when he glanced down he saw all of Darcy’s social media profiles listed out on his phone for his perusal. 

* * *

A few hours passed by before Dum-E was finished with the task of stuffing envelopes and Darcy had gotten so much of her backlogged work done that she was hesitant to let Tony know he could come to pick up his robot. “Hey, Jarvis, how hard would it be to get Dum-E to start working on shredding the sensitive documents that have already been uploaded to your server?” she glanced toward the corner of her office where boxes of paper sat idly waiting for her to get a spare moment. 

“That shouldn’t be too difficult, Miss Lewis. Please allow me a few moments to work on the correct programming. I will let you know when I have finished.”

Darcy busied herself with moving the shredder from under her desk to beside the stack of boxes that were almost higher than Dum-E himself. By the time she was back at her desk Jarvis was pinging her again, “Miss Lewis, I believe I have completed the programming. Would you please come to stand by the shredder to ensure that it is working correctly on the first few documents?”

“Of course, J,” Darcy smiled and walked alongside Dum-E to the corner of the office. She watched as Dum-E lifted a lid off the top of a box and held up the first piece of paper to the camera in his head. 

“I have programmed him to perform a quick scan of the document to see if it matches with one I have in my archive. If I find a match, Dum-E will shred the paper. If there is no match he will set the paper aside for further processing by you later.”

“Perfect,” Darcy replied as she watched Dum-E place the first sheet of paper into the top of the shredder and pick up a new sheet. The robot held the paper up then turned to the side to place it on the ground before moving back to pick up a new sheet. “Seems like it’s working as planned?” 

“Yes, Miss Lewis. I’ll leave you to your work.” 

It took Darcy no time at all to dive back into the work she had been putting off. So much so that she was startled when an hour later her office door opened and Tony’s booming voice called out to her, “Lewis! You’re stealing my robot for your own work? Who allowed this?!”

Darcy glanced to the corner where Dum-E had shredded so much paper the bin at the bottom had had nearly overflown. The shredder was cheap and any amount of jostling caused the bin to shuffle its way out, so there was now a large pile of shredded paper on the floor in front of Dum-E. “Shit,” she said quietly as she stood up to meet Tony by the robot. 

“Sir,” Jarvis chimed in, “Do not be angry with Miss Lewis. She asked me if Dum-E could possibly be used to shred documents and I arranged the programming myself. I did not think you would mind considering-”

“RIGHT!” Tony said quickly, cutting off the AI before he could finish his sentence. “Yes, I guess I did tell you that you were to help out Lewis in any way possible,” he covered, though Darcy could tell Jarvis had been about to say something Tony did not want her to hear. “Still, next time maybe check with me first,” he said in Darcy’s direction. “I could have told you he’s no good at telling when a trash can if full, Lewis.”

“Really with the ‘Lewis’ again? You called me Darcy last time you were up here.”

“Sure, I tested it out some, but everyone calls you Darcy,” Tony smiled at her, invading her personal space every so slightly.

“Yes,” she deadpanned, “Because it is my name.”

Tony nodded, “I know that Lewis,” he said with a pointed expression on his face. “But no one calls you Lewis so you’ll always know it’s me when you hear it.”

“And that matters, why exactly?” she asked, an eyebrow raised, her body leaning closer to his without her noticing. 

Tony shrugged, “Dunno just always liked having my own personal name for people, is all.”

“But you don’t want nicknames for yourself? Everyone calls you Tony.”

“That’s true,” he smiled, “But you don’t have to call me Tony,” he said as his hand came dangerously close to holding hers.

“Oh?” Darcy asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared up at him from beneath her lashes, “What is it that you’d like me to call you?” 

“I don’t know,” Tony blushed. “But I’ll know it when I hear it,” he said before beckoning to Dum-E and leaving the office.

“Well,” Darcy said to herself, “That was clear as mud.”

* * *

Later that night Darcy sat at Jane’s kitchen table to discuss what, if anything, useful she’d learned about Tony that day. There was a pitcher of margaritas and a bowl of chips and dip in front of them, and Darcy sipped happily on hers while Jane spoke. 

“I asked Thor about having a small dinner get together or something, he said he would see what he could do,” Darcy’s face sunk as she heard the news. “No, don’t get mopey, Thor was so excited when I asked him, he looked like a puppy dancing around the kitchen. I doubt anyone would say no to him. But youuuuuu,” Jane drew out the word, “Need to tell me about what happened today.”

“Okay, so,” Darcy launched into a full recount of her afternoon interactions with Tony, including how he had stood so close to her. She hoped that Jane would be able to glean some knowledge from the story. “Anything?” Darcy asked with a raised brow when she had finished recounting her day. 

“So we know two things now. One, he’s totally got a crush on you. And two, why he gives everyone dumb nicknames now, I guess.”

“Okay, first of all, he does not have a crush on me, that is ridiculous,” Darcy pursed her lips, “I do agree with you on the nickname thing, but couldn’t mine be something better than Lewis? I mean, even you get Weird Science, and he just stuck me with my last name. It’s entirely unoriginal.”

“Hey now, sometimes he calls me complicated names of stars too. Don’t sell my nicknames short,” Jane said as she refilled her margarita. 

“Thank you, Jane! You have proved my point, even you, who he just about never associates with have a multitude of nicknames and I just get ‘Lewis’,” Darcy took a long sip from her drink, mouth puckered around the straw until she pressed a hand to her forehead, “Dammit, brain freeze!”

“Look, Darcy,” Jane spoke calmly as she waited for cheese to finish dripping from her chip, “I think Tony probably has a good reason for not giving you a better nickname yet. It probably has something to do with his crush on you though,” she smiled. “Let’s stop focusing on that and start thinking of things you could get him for Secret Santa.”

“Okay,” Darcy nodded, “First on my list is a speak and spell that only knows how to speak and spell D-A-R-C-Y.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincere apologies for not posting yesterday and not getting todays post up until late! We had friends over for a board game marathon on Sunday and then I had a work meeting that threw off my entire day. That means you get two chapters today!!

“Jarvis?” Darcy asked as she stood up from the floor where she had been kneeling for five minutes. “Do you think Tony could spare Dum-E again for some more shredding?”

“Sir is out of the building at the moment and I do not think he appreciated your commandeering Dum-E for shredding last time. He particularly did not enjoy having to send up another robot to clean up the shredded paper from the floor after you left for the day.”

“Sure,” Darcy said as she sat down at her computer, “But I’ve devised a way to prevent that this time.” She gestured over to the corner she had been sitting at and indicated the large contractor bag she had hooked into the machine where the bin usually sat. “I just have to remember to check on the bag every once in a while, it’ll be fine.”

There was a long pause before Jarvis finally spoke again, “I suppose what Sir doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“Yes!” Darcy pumped her fists in the air, “Thanks for seeing my side, J.”

“I am sending Dum-E up now. Please do not make me regret this, Miss Lewis.”

A few hours and one trash bag change later, Dum-E still had another box of paper to get through and there was a small stack of documents that were not found in Jarvis’ database next to him. Darcy smiled to herself, pleased that she was getting so much accomplished today. With any luck, Tony would stay gone and she’d have nothing left to shred by the time she called it quits. 

No sooner had she finished the thought, Tony burst into her office with a scowl on his face. “Lewis! Who gave you permission to commandeer my robots?!” He completely avoided her desk chairs this time, instead coming to leer over her chair. “He was perfectly fine in my lab and you had to drag him up here? How’d you do that anyway?” he asked her as he turned her chair so that her legs were bracketed between his. 

“Um,” Darcy said timidly, having not experienced the full force of Tony’s angry stare before. “I asked nicely?” 

“But how?!?” he cried as his hands came up in exasperation. 

“Sir, if I may,” Jarvis cut in, “Miss Lewis asked if I thought it would be alright for her to borrow Dum-E for more shredding. I was hesitant but she promised me she had devised a way to prevent the ‘ticker-tape parade of a mess’, as you called it.”

Darcy smiled when she saw a little bit of pink coloring Tony’s cheeks. “See? I did ask nicely.  _ And _ ,” she said as she gestured to the corner where Dum-E was still shredding files, “I think you’ll find my solution has worked quite well.” There was one large trash bag already filled and tied shut and Dum-E was about halfway done filling another one. 

Tony sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat, “Still, though. You shouldn’t take things that aren’t yours without asking the owner - impressionable AI’s don’t count. It’s not nice.”

“Uh-huh,” Darcy rolled her eyes. “Are you going to point your finger in my face too, Dad?” She had initially been excited about her quick retort but when she saw the way Tony’s eyes darkened, his brow furrowing just enough to match the small frown, she regretted it. “I mean, uh,” she faltered. “Would you be okay with leaving Dum-E with me until I get all the shredding done, Tony?”

Tony shook his head slightly to rid himself of the thoughts he’d been having about the brunette. Every time he’d been around Darcy recently had elicited a response he hadn’t been anticipating - the quickening of his pulse and a heat gathering in his groin was telling him he was developing an attraction to a woman young enough to be his daughter. Now that he was aware, he couldn’t help but notice how Darcy looked staring up at him from her seated position, fingers absently playing with the ends of her hair while she waited on his response. 

“If I say yes, will you go on a date with me?” he asked in a rush. “I mean, shit. That sounds like bribery. Look, you can use Dum-E anyw-”

“Yes,” Darcy said quickly, one of her knees tapping against his own to get his attention. 

“Wait, what?” 

“When were you thinking? I’m kind of busy tonight and tomorrow night but I could-” Before Darcy could complete the word jumble that was no doubt ready to spill from her mouth, Tony backed away from her and crossed to sit on the other side of her desk. When Darcy’s eyebrow shot to her forehead he smiled. 

“I’m thinking we’ll both have an easier time talking if I’m over here, kid. Tell me if you think I’m wrong,” his mouth quirked into a grin. 

Darcy had to admit her thoughts had slowed to an almost normal pace now that he wasn’t touching her, “You’re not wrong.” She could still feel the heat from his body against her legs, her pulse was still elevated and she couldn’t help but want to reach across her desk to take his hand. “I would have said yes even without Dum-E, you know,” she smiled, “But to be completely honest I was pretty sure you were about to fuss at me more for calling you Dad so asking me out was kind of a shock.”

Tony huffed a laugh, “Far from it,” he muttered to himself. “Listen, how about I come back here around quittin’ time to get my robot and we go up to the dinner Thor’s been going on about.” He could see the disappointment clear as day on Darcy’s face so he quickly added, “Then maybe on Saturday we could go out to our own dinner?” Darcy’s smile glowed radiantly from across the desk and Tony immediately knew he’d do everything in his power to keep seeing that smile again and again. “I’d like that,” Darcy replied, a slight blush on her cheeks. 

“Good,” Tony stood from his chair. “I’ll see you around 6?”

* * *

Tony was prompt to pick Darcy and Dum-E up at 6. When he had knocked on the door of her office she’d stood quickly, ready to greet him only to be dismayed when he made a beeline for the bot in the corner. “All good over here, I see,” Tony commented after he’d surveyed Dum-E’s workspace. He turned on his heel to greet Darcy with a smile only to find her shuffling through a stack of papers on her desk, a look of faux concentration across her brows. 

“Hey, Darcy?” he asked as he made his way across the room towards her. “Do you think you could forgive me that entry just now? I could go back out and try again.” He could see a smile fighting to break through Darcy’s controlled features and grinned, “Okay, yep. Hang on.” Before Darcy had a chance to respond he was out of her office again, the door closing softly behind him. There was a few seconds pause before she heard another knock on her door.

“Come in,” she called out, once again rising from her desk. 

This time when Tony came in the door Darcy felt like the only other person in the universe. His smile cut straight to her heart, his brown eyes twinkling with delight. “Hi there,” he said as he walked around Darcy’s desk to take her hand in his, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep,” Darcy replied, “Let’s bust this pop stand.”

Tony directed Dum-E to go back to his lab as he escorted Darcy to the elevator bays. “I know I have a tendency to step all over expected social norms, so feel free to call me on it in the future,” he extended a hand to the open elevator doorway and followed Darcy close behind. 

“Noted, but you’re going to have to greet me before any nearby robots on Saturday if you think you’re getting anywhere close to my panties,” Darcy grinned. 

“Don’t get me started on your panties, kid, or we’ll never make it to this dinner,” Tony replied, his voice suddenly right next to her ear, hands coming up to bracket her waist. 

“Kid, huh?” Darcy replied, taking a small step forward so she had space to turn and face Tony. “I can’t believe you’re finally going to call me something other than Lewis and it’s still not my first name.”

Tony laughed, “You’re the one who keeps calling me Dad and you’re giving me a hard time about a silver screen classic?”

“I can’t help it that you act like an overprotective parent dropping their son off at sleepover camp for the first time whenever I borrow Dum-E.”

“Yeah, but I built him when I was in college, he is like a son to me,” Tony was quick to reply.

“Wow, that attitude really brings out the silver in your hair,” Darcy smiled up at him. 

“Keep going, kid, this sass is really doing it for me.”

“Is that so?” Darcy asked, biting one corner of her lower lip while she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “I’ll have to keep that in mind when I’m preparing for our date on Saturday,” she grinned. 

“Mmmm,” Tony’s eyes sparkled with mirth, “since you’re so set on playing the brat, I guess we’ll be going to Chuck-e-Cheese, then.”

Darcy snorted with laughter as the elevator came to a halt. “Hardly. I’ve never been to a restaurant with a Michelin star, let alone three, and we both know you’re going to want to show me off,” she said as she sauntered out of the elevator with her hips swinging, confident that Tony’s eyes were following her every move. 

Tony caught up with her quickly and put his hand around her waist, pulling her to his side. “You know, it’s kind of shocking how well you know me already. Are you sure we even need the first date? We can’t just skip right to the hot sex?”

“Hey! Remember that time, oh, two seconds ago when you told me to call you on your bullshit? Consider it done.” 

Tony would have thought she was upset with him were she not still smiling at him. Still, he took her words into consideration and brought his arm back down to his side. They were rounding the corner into the dining room when Darcy's pinkie finger reached out to brush with Tony's and he finally relaxed again. Thor and Jane stood at the opposite end of the dining room; by the time they made it there, Tony’s pinkie was interlaced with Darcy’s. 

“Where’s everyone else?” Darcy asked when they were approaching the other couple.

Jane sighed, “It’s just us, I’m afraid. Clint and Natasha were supposed to come but they got called away on a mission. Everyone else already had plans.”

Darcy gave Jane a not-so-subtle hard stare but before she could ask if they should cancel Tony spoke up. “Fine by me, we can make this a more low key affair. Movie night in the living room?”

Thor beamed, “Yes! There are still many Midgardian classics I have yet to see.”

“Perfect,” smiled Tony as he offered Darcy his elbow to escort her to their destination. “What’s everyone feel like for dinner? I can have Jarvis place an order for us.”

Darcy felt like that one small physical interaction moments before had opened the floodgates for her. Sure, she and Tony had touched before - even earlier that day - but suddenly there was tension, an expectation behind it. The thrill and newness of it all sent shivers down her spine; Tony even noticed, being sure to offer Darcy a blanket once they had were settled on the loveseat.

When their dinner arrived Darcy was quick to plop down on the ground, scooting up to the small coffee table and laying out her meal in front of her. “Psst,” Tony whispered so he did not disturb the movie, his body bent at the waist so he could be near to her ear. “Whatcha doing down there?”

Darcy turned back to look at him, their faces inches from one another. “It’s not a proper meal if you’re not at a table,” she replied softly. This close to him she could see the variations of color in his eyes, the fine wrinkles near his eyes from years of laughter. 

Without realizing it, Darcy had begun to close the distance between the two of them so when Tony spoke his lips just barely grazed her skin, “Eat your dinner.” The next time Tony leaned forward it was to deposit his plate and napkin on the coffee table, “I’m going to get a drink, would you like one?” 

“I guess I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Darcy replied, barely looking up at him as she took in the movie. 

When he returned he set her drink down in front of her and sat back on the couch, his body closer to her than it had been when he’d left. Their close proximity and shared body heat was a tease for Darcy, who had always been physically demonstrative. With each bite of her food, she congratulated herself on not leaning back and over into Tony’s leg, resisting placing her head on his thigh. Especially when he idly began playing with strands of her hair.

She was taking a sip of her drink a few minutes after she had finished eating when she felt two light tugs on her hair. When she glanced over her shoulder she saw Tony with an eyebrow raised while he made a subtle gesture asking her to come sit with him again. Darcy wanted nothing more than to get back onto the couch and sit close to him, to feel his arm come down around her shoulders, to breathe in the scent of his cologne up close. Which is exactly why she turned her head back around and focused on the movie, remaining where she was. 

Tony tugged on her hair once again and Darcy smiled to herself as she considered who would win this game. She wasn’t going to give up this easily, but she knew she could only resist so long. Each brush of his fingers against her skin was a small thrill to her and she could feel her body craving more. 

Minutes passed, the tension building between them as Tony upped the ante and Darcy steadfastly ignored him. He’d started by drawing lazy, light circles on the sensitive skin of her neck. Darcy was certain he felt her skin grow goosebumps but she stayed focused on the scene in front of her. When that failed he leaned back on his seat, stretching his arm across the back of the loveseat and doing his best to ignore Darcy too. That was, of course, until Darcy made a small show of rolling her neck which gave Tony a great view of her cleavage. His foot nudged her thigh, the shiny leather of his shoes drawing lines up and down her jeans. 

Darcy could feel her heart beating loudly in her ears. She was desperate to get closer to Tony, but she knew that if she held out it would make the victory that much sweeter. Tony had abandoned the foot technique and she could feel him shuffling forward on the seat beside her. He still caused her to jump when he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. 

“Come sit with me,” he whispered with a smile, each gentle push of his breath sending a new wave of pleasure coursing through her body. Before she even knew what she was doing she had gotten up from the floor and moved back to the loveseat, her body pressed close to Tony’s. 

“As you wish,” she replied, with a smug grin. 

They spent the rest of the movie tucked into the corner of the loveseat, bodies close but hands firmly kept to themselves now that their actions were no longer blocked from view by the coffee table. 

When the movie ended and the lights came up Jane was already standing, mid-exaggerated yawn. “This was fun,” she said as she huddled closer to Thor’s warmth. “I think it’s time I go to bed, though. Thor?” He followed her close behind, catching Tony’s eye and giving him a wink. 

“What was that about?” Tony asked Darcy once they were alone in the room. 

Darcy shrugged, “Who knows. It is getting kind of late though.”

Tony brought his arm down from the back of the sofa, bringing his wrist closer to his face and consequently tucking Darcy up against his chest. “Oh, so it is.”

Darcy could feel her arms begging to reach out across his chest so she could hold him closer but now was not the time. Instead, she crossed her arm across his body hovering just above his chest until her hand met the armrest and she was able to push herself out of his grasp. “I really do need to go to bed, Tony,” she said as she got up from the loveseat. 

“Well, can I walk you to your door then?” Tony asked, getting up and following her to the elevator. 

“Sure,” Darcy said as she pressed the button to call the car. “I’m glad we got our first date out of the way tonight, now I won’t be so nervous I spill something on myself when you take me out on Saturday.”

“Hold up, who said this was our first date?” Tony asked as they got into the waiting car. When Darcy settled against the far corner, he moved to stand close in front of her. 

“Well, someone I used to know said a date was anytime a couple went somewhere and one spends money on the other,” Darcy replied, leaning back against the wall and tilting her face up to meet his eyes. She hadn’t considered that it would press her hips that much closer to Tony’s own.

“Who says I didn’t have Jarvis charge your account when I ordered?” Tony grinned, hopeful that he’d cornered her. 

“My account page, right here,” Darcy replied as she held out her phone to show Tony her proof. 

Tony sighed overly-dramatically, as the elevator came to a stop at Darcy’s floor, “Okay, fine, you got me. But we didn’t really go anywhere, so it still doesn’t count.”    
“Well, we did take an elevator,” Darcy tried as she started down the corridor to her own apartment. 

“Uh uh,” Tony shook his head as he reached out for her hand. “Doesn’t count. We both live and work in this building. Until we’ve stepped foot off of the premises it is not a date.”

“Okay, sure, whatever you say,” Darcy smiled as she slowed to a stop in front of her door, turning to face Tony. “Then I guess I won’t be inviting you inside or giving you a goodnight kiss.”

“So that’s how you’re going to play it, Lewis?” A second of a pause passed before Tony continued, “Oh, I see what you mean. I am going to have to work on a better nickname for you if we’re going to keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

Tony leaned into her personal space, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her neck as he kissed her. “This,” he whispered when their lips parted.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STOP! I posted 2 chapters today! Have you read chapter 3 that was posted just before this one was? If not, GO BACK!!

“How was your first kiss?” Jane asked as she waltzed into Darcy’s office the next morning, two large cups of coffee in tow. 

Darcy immediately broke into a wide, open grin. “Who says there was a kiss?”

Jane raised an eyebrow at her as she sat down in the chair across from her friend. When Darcy did not continue she added, “Your shit-eating grin says there was a kiss. You think I don’t know your tells after all these years?”

“Well, maybe I just want to keep it to myself,” Darcy suggested as she reached across the desk to grab one of the cups of coffee out of Jane’s hands.

“Well, maybe I just want to keep all this coffee to myself then, too,” Jane quipped as she moved both cups out of Darcy’s reach. There was a moment of silence as each of the friends stared at each other, waiting and willing for the other to give in. The smell of the coffee is what finally broke Darcy’s reserve, “Okay, okay, okay I will tell you just give me that coffee already!” Jane was quick to hand over the extra cup, sitting forward in her seat so she wouldn’t miss a single word. 

Darcy recounted the conversation she and Tony had in her hallway the night before that had ended so perfectly - she could feel her pulse speeding up just thinking about it. Jane was grinning like a maniac when she was done and before she could begin commentary, Darcy threw in one last question. “How’d you know there was a kiss anyway?”

“Oh, please! After that hair-pulling? And the whispering? I don’t know how Tony knew what to do, but he’s got you wrapped around his finger already.”

Darcy’s cheeks turned pink, “You saw that?!” 

“How could we have missed it?!” Jane asked incredulously, “You two were being so obvious I’m surprised Jarvis wasn’t commenting on it by the end of the night.” Darcy was blushing harder than before, her hands coming up to shield her face. “Oh, stop it. The entire point of last night was to get you two closer and from where I sit that was a rousing success.”

“Yeah,” Darcy smiled, “We do have a date on Saturday night now.”

“You what?!” Jane nearly spit out her coffee.

“You heard me,” Darcy grinned. “And now you know everything I know. I do actually have work I need to be doing, shouldn’t you be building a bridge or something?” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jane replied as she got up from her chair. “But you had best keep me apprised of this situation, missy!” 

* * *

Late in the day, Darcy saw a pop-up notification on her computer. When she clicked it, Tony’s face came into focus on her screen. She smiled, happy to see him even if it was just digitally. “Hi, Tony.”

“Why can’t I see your face?”

“That was a lovely greeting, Tony, thanks,” she replied dryly. “You can’t see my face because I disabled the webcam on this machine after I joined an online meeting while mopping up the half cup of coffee that I’d just spilled on me. Would have been fine, except the organizer had set it so that webcams were automatically activated so the head of every major organization in New York saw what a clutz I am.” 

A corner of Tony’s mouth ticked up in a grin, “It couldn’t have been that bad. What do you say, re-enable it just for me?”

Darcy sighed dramatically. “I guess,” she was saying as the light on her webcam came on and her face popped into view next to Tony’s. 

Tony smiled, “Hey, there’s the face I wanted to see!”

“What do you know, you do know how to greet people you like!” Darcy rolled her eyes. 

“Sorry about that, Sundae.”

“Sundae?”

Tony chuckled, “Yeah, you know. Cause you’re sweet like an ice cream sundae.”

Darcy wrinkled her nose, “And sweetheart wasn’t good enough for you?”

“It’s not good enough for you,” he replied quickly. “I can’t go giving you a regular old nickname, what would people think?” 

“Well, Sundae should be taken off the list, please and thank you.”

“Consider it done. An-ee-way, I wanted to know if you knew what you were going to wear on Saturday night?”

Darcy raised an eyebrow, “I’m not sure I like this line of questioning, but no, I hadn’t thought about it yet.”

“Totally above the board, I promise. Let me pick something out for you to wear,” he smiled. When Darcy didn’t immediately respond he added, “You’re the one who said I’d want to show you off.”

“That’s true,” she replied, “I’m just concerned you’ll want to show me off a little more than I’m comfortable with.”

He held up his hand in a three-finger salute, “Scouts honor, you will be appropriately dressed and covered.” Darcy bit her lip as she considered what he said. “Let me do this for you,” he repeated, this time his voice had a darker tone to it that made Darcy’s heart race. 

“Okay,” Darcy said quietly. “Okay, you can pick out something for me to wear. But just so you know, if I’m not comfortable in it I’ll show up in my rattiest pair of jeans and a t-shirt.”

Tony hummed in appreciation, “Now we’re talking.” A machine beeped behind him, drawing his attention away from Darcy for a moment. “Hey, kid, I’ve gotta go see to that. I’ll send something up for you later.”

* * *

Saturday afternoon a box arrived at Darcy’s door via Dum-E, who had a note taped to his chest. “Bun - Rattiest jeans or not, I can’t wait to see you tonight.”

Darcy grinned as she took the box from Dum-E and grabbed a pen from the table by her door. She crossed out Bun and replaced it with Darcy before adding “ditto” to the bottom of the note and sending the robot off. Inside the box was a simple black dress and another small box containing a necklace and a pair of earrings that looked to be rubies. When she tried it on she was amazed to find it fit her perfectly, truly the perfect little black dress. She fingered the jewelry carefully, already nervous about wearing what clearly seemed to be expensive stones. 

* * *

“So that was a no to ‘Bun’, I take it?” Tony asked when Darcy opened her door on Saturday evening. Darcy raised her eyebrow and stayed silent until Tony spoke again. “Hi, Darcy. You look incredible, have I told you that lately?” 

“Hi, Tony. No, you haven’t, but I think I could get used to hearing it. And yes, that was a no to ‘Bun’. What was the inspiration to that one anyway?”

“Couple I was friends with in college. Joanne always called Adam that and I thought it was cute and unique. Figured I’d give it a try,” Tony smiled. “You ready to go?”

Darcy grabbed her winter coat before stepping out of her door, “Yep!” Tony was quick to offer his arm to her and Darcy was glad to take it, reveling in the warmth of him and being so close. “Where are we going, anyway?” 

“One of those places where you just have to know where it is because there’s no name on the sign out front.” When Tony noticed Darcy’s smile falter just a little he added, “Just trust me, you’ll like it.” When they reached the garage one of Tony’s flashiest cars was waiting for them and when Darcy raised an eyebrow Tony just said, “You’re the one who wanted to be shown off.”

They weren’t even at the restaurant yet and Darcy was already marveling at how wonderful being on a date with Tony was. No one she’d been with before had ever tried to impress her so much in so little time, and Tony didn’t even really need to impress her to begin with. As they drove through the city they got further and further from the streets and avenues that typically held the hole in the wall places Tony frequented, causing Darcy a small amount of confusion. 

They circled around Madison Park until they were able to find parking, Darcy’s eyes in a frantic search for any sort of no-name restaurant around them. She was so busy looking around that he hadn’t noticed they were parked until Tony had opened the car door for her. “Oh! Thanks,” she blushed. “Really Tony, where are you taking me?!”

“You’ll see,” was the only thing he said, taking her arm once again and leading her down the street. He slowed to a stop in front of an ornately columned stone building with a small black sign above the door. 

“Cute,” Darcy joked as she noted the sign had no name, just four images of what appeared to be different leaves. “I hardly doubt this place has no name, though.”

Tony held the door open for her and a hostess greeted her with a smile, “Welcome to Eleven Madison Park. Ah, Mr. Stark, we have your table prepared if you and your guest would follow me.”

A server approached their table not long after they sat down and explained the 10-course tasting menu and wine pairing list that they were doing for the night. It did not take long for the first course to arrive and Darcy was awed by the presentation and pairings. By the third course when they hadn’t run out of things to say, Tony began to relax a little more. His time with her thus far had been in short bursts or long periods of time where talk was not allowed and when he was honest with himself, he had been worried that things were mostly superficial for Darcy. 

As the night went on she continued to rest her hand towards the center of the table, fingers interlacing with his consistently. In fact, the only time she was not touching him was when she’d reach up to fidget with the earrings he’d included with her dress. “Stop that,” he said softly the next time she did it, his head nodding towards her hand as she was fidgeting with it again. 

Darcy blushed and dropped her hand immediately, “Sorry. I’ve just…I don’t think I’ve ever worn earrings this expensive before. The last time I had on a nice pair I was borrowing my grandmother’s diamonds from my mom and one fell out of my ear without me knowing it.” She took a sip of wine before continuing on, collecting herself for the next bit, “Ever since then it’s kind of an anxious habit to make sure the backs are secure. Once I accidentally pushed the back into the earring hole and had to go to a piercing shop to have it fixed. I quit wearing earrings that were worth more than five dollars after that.” 

She took a deep breath in and exhaled as Tony reached out to grab her hand in his, rubbing softly at her knuckles. “Sprout, you don’t have to be worried about that, I’m not expecting them back at the end of the night.” 

Darcy’s eyes widened at the statement, “Shit, that makes it worse! If they’re mine there’s no way I could afford to replace one of them if I lost it!”

Tony handed her the glass of wine she had barely touched, “Drink that and listen to me, okay? When you’re with me you do not need to worry about things like that. I won’t be upset if you lose an earring or a phone or a goddamn car. Those things are all replaceable and I have the means to replace them if necessary. What’s more important is you relaxing now and having some fun.”

When Tony had finished speaking Darcy took a breath and set down her wine glass. “Sure thing, Dad,” she rolled her eyes, uncomfortable with the seriousness of the moment before. “Sprout?” she asked with a tilt of her head. 

“Well,” Tony paused to sip at his own glass, “You really liked those brussel sprouts.”

“NO!” Darcy said as she wrinkled her nose, “Just because I adored the brussel sprouts at a restaurant does not mean I want you to call me brussel sprout.”

“Oh, come on. It’d only be brussel sprout when you were in trouble,” Tony grinned. 

* * *

After dinner they began to walk around Madison Park, enjoying the crisp night air. They turned a corner and Tony spotted a mobile espresso bar, “Coffee? Hot chocolate?” 

“I never turn down an opportunity for coffee.”

“A woman after my own heart,” Tony smiled. They stood in the short line and when they reached the barista Tony gestured to Darcy to order first. 

“Can I have a decaf mocha please?” she asked before stepping aside to let Tony ordered. As they waited by the end of the cart for their drinks Darcy caught Tony giving her a skeptical once over. “What, did I spill something on the dress?!”

“I didn’t know you were one of  _ those  _ people,” Tony remarked as the barista handed over their drinks. 

“What people, exactly?” Darcy asked, stepping away from the cart and just out of Tony’s reach. 

“ _ Decaf  _ people,” Tony said with mock disgust. 

“Oh trust me, anytime before 3 pm it’s all the caffeine all the time, but I love to sleep just a little bit more than I love coffee.”

Tony made a show of considering this information before handing over her drink, “Okay, you’ll pass.” He was quick to saddle up next to her, moving to drape his arm over her shoulders before she ducked out of his embrace. 

“No one said you had passed yet, mister,” she grinned as she took a step or two in front of him and turned to face him. “It’s not nice to refer to someone as one of ‘those people’, you know. It makes those of us who are ‘those people’ feel pretty bad.”

Tony took one large step and caught up with her. “Okay, little girl,” he smiled when he saw Darcy consider the nickname without wrinkling her nose. “I apologize for making you feel bad, that was never my intention.”

Darcy appeared to be thinking about the apology for a moment before she wrapped her arm around Tony’s and said, “Apology accepted. And I don’t  _ hate  _ little girl, but it’s a lacking something.”

“Alright, back to the drawing board.” When they reached the car Tony opened Darcy’s door for her, “Where to now?”

“Home, are you kidding me? I usually go to bed two hours ago,” Darcy said emphatically. 

“Oh my god, on a Saturday? You’re missing all the good stuff!” 

“Yes and if I wasn’t missing that I’d be out somewhere missing my bed,” she replied pointedly. Tony frowned a little at her words so she added, “Not that I’ve been missing my bed tonight, just, in general. Remember, I told you I love sleep more than I love coffee.”

“Fair, but I’m going to have to insist on at least one late-night party before you disregard them all as a waste.”

“That sounds like something I could manage. Tell me, are you planning on choosing my clothing for that, too?”

Tony blushed a little, “Why? You don’t like to be taken care of?”

“I never said that! Just, a note or two for you is all. First off, next time at least consider providing shoes? And make sure they’re realistic unless you want me dependent on your arm for balance the entire night. Also, maybe don’t do that too often or I may start to feel like a kept woman,” Darcy finished quickly. 

“Oh no,” Tony faked alarm, “heaven forbid you’re seen as being kept by one of the wealthiest men in America.”

“Hey!” Darcy exclaimed, poking him solidly in the thigh until he winced. “Being able to support myself and be independent is really important to me and I don’t want to lose sight of that just because I am dating you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tony replied solemnly. When they’d parked the car in the tower Darcy was quick to unbuckle her seatbelt and open her car door for herself. “Hey, Darcy,” he called after her while he moved quickly to catch up to where she stood to wait. “I get it, okay? You need to be able to do things for yourself, and I am more than happy to allow you to do that. But can you let me open your doors for you, at least? I’m shit at greetings, we’ve learned that already, so let me make it up to you in other ways.”

Darcy reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers around it, “I mean, you can’t exactly open up the next real door for me, but I’m happy to let you press the elevator button.”

Tony chuckled as they approached the elevator and the doors opened almost immediately, “Welcome Home, Sir,” Jarvis called out. “To Miss Lewis’ floor, I presume?” 

“Got it in one, J!” Darcy rolled her eyes at his antics but seemed to be in a lighter mood now which is what he’d been going for. “Why pray tell, do you think I can’t open the ‘next real door’ for you?”

“Easy. That one’s going to be my front door and it’s programmed to let me in. Unless you plan on wearing my hand like a glove,” she squeezed his hand where it still rested in hers, “I’m going to have to be the one to open that one.”

“Fair point,” Tony relented as they stepped out of the elevator and began to walk down the long hallway towards Darcy’s quarters. “How about a truce? You unlock and I open?”

Darcy giggled, “Trying to get yourself invited in, Mr. Stark?” 

“No Mr. Stark, here. If you get veto power, I get the same rights and Mr. Stark was definitely and will always be my father. But yes, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do,” he lifted their joined hands towards the fingerprint reader and smiled when Darcy reached out to place her finger on the waiting light. While she was distracted with unlocking the door Tony reached his free hand around her and placed it on the doorknob so when the beep signaling the door was unlocked sounded he was able to open it immediately. 

“Well then, Tony,” she said with emphasis on his name, “Won’t you please come inside? I’d offer you a nightcap but all I’ve got here is a bottle of terrible tequila that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

Tony smiled as he followed her inside the standard apartment that was a perk of being a Stark Tower employee. “Is there a story behind this tequila and why you still have it?” 

“Oh most definitely, but it’s a story for another day,” Darcy replied as she sat down on the squashy couch she’d insisted on moving in when she’d first arrived. 

“You know,” Tony said after he’d sat down, “I’m beginning to understand why you caused so much fuss about moving this couch in. It’s miles better than the standard ones for these places.”

“Wait so you’re telling me you sat on those things and still agreed to furnish apartments with them?!” 

Tony shook his head, laughing at her indignation, “No, not at all. Steve insisted on having one of the standard apartments instead of the super sweet, all the perks, apartments I had set up for the Avengers. I visited him once and ever since then I’ve made him come to me if he wants to hang out.”

“Uh-huh,” Darcy rolled her eyes as she moved closer to where Tony was seated on the couch. “So why did you want to come in?” she asked coyly. 

“Oh, that’s easy,” Tony smiled as he turned towards Darcy and closed the distance between them. “I wanted to do this,” he said quietly as he leaned forward to kiss Darcy’s soft lips. 

“No complaints here,” Darcy smiled when they separated a moment later. “Only,” she trailed off, clearly thinking on something before she made her decision and moved to straddle Tony’s lap. “This will probably better for our necks in the long run.”

“Right. Our necks,” Tony grinned before kissing her again. His hands lifted from the couch to encircle Darcy and pull her closer to him. Their kisses were slow and gentle at first, but before long Tony’s tongue was licking softly at Darcy’s lips begging for entrance. She didn’t give in quickly, which Tony liked more than he could think about with her sitting on his lap.

When her lips finally parted he wasted no time in deepening their kiss. He was delighted to hear Darcy moan when he nibbled at her bottom lip, thrilled when he felt her hips thrust into his as he ran his fingers over her ass. Tony was mesmerized by the feel of her pressing herself against him and before he could stop himself he was twisting them around, carefully laying Darcy back on the couch so that he was above her. 

“Hey, Tony?” Darcy whispered throatily. “We shouldn’t go too far tonight, okay?” 

His forehead came down to rest gently on her breast. “You’re killing me,” he spoke into her chest.

“I didn’t say never,” she responded after kissing him again. “Just not tonight,” she smiled. 

“So, should I get up then?” he asked when he was looking at her again.

Darcy leaned up to capture his lips in hers, “I’m enjoying myself, but I’d understand if you did want to stop for now.”

Tony lay between her legs, cock throbbing already even though they’d barely reached first base. “It’s not that I want to stop,” he sighed before leaning down to kiss her again. “It’s just that I’m not sure I can handle being more turned on than this without any immediate payoff. I’m not as young as I once was,” he added wryly as he sat back up on the couch. 

“Well, okay then, old man,” Darcy smiled as she sat up herself. 

“Nope, uh uh, never. Old man is stricken from the records and we’re going to forget you ever called me that.”

Darcy laughed, “Okay,  _ Tony _ . When do you think I’ll see you again?” she asked as she stood up from the couch. 

“Tomorrow? Is that too soon?” Tony looked sheepish about asking to see her again which only endeared him more to Darcy. 

“Not if there are cinnamon rolls,” she replied as she opened her front door. 

“Cinnamon rolls got it,” Tony smiled before leaning down to kiss her goodnight. 


	5. Chapter 5

“Tonight I was thinking-”

“Uh uh,” Darcy interrupted. “You picked Sunday  _ and  _ Monday, it’s my turn!” Darcy was already scrolling through the list of movies available for streaming at the tower while she was talking to Tony on the phone.

“ _ I _ picked Sunday? You’re the one who demanded cinnamon rolls,” Tony joked.

“I did no such thing! You asked if seeing me Sunday would be too soon and I merely suggested that cinnamon rolls would be nice. You, mister, are the one who had one of the best bakers in the city come to the tower just to bake us cinnamon rolls!” 

“And brunch, don’t forget the rest of the brunch!” Tony added before realizing what he’d done, “Fine, I want the credit for that one, go ahead, tell me what you want to do tonight so I can arrange it.”

“No arranging required, Tony, just be ready at six,” Darcy smiled so large Tony could hear it through the phone. It was infectious and soon he found himself smiling too. 

* * *

“You didn’t tell me what we were doing, so you have to allow me to ch-” Tony had been saying as he opened his door for Darcy. He’d quit speaking as soon as he had taken her in, standing in his doorway with a hand on her hip, a low cut shirt and black leggings paired with a pair of what could only be described as ‘house shoes’. “Oh.”

“We’re staying in, the only dress code is comfortable,” Darcy commented as she made her way inside. 

“By comfortable, do you mean sexy as hell because you look incredible.” 

“Hello to you, too,” Darcy said as she sat down on a stool at the bar. 

“Right,” Tony said quickly as he crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Hi, you look amazing, have I told you that recently?” Darcy grinned, leaning into him for a kiss. Tony’s arms wrapped around her body, hands running smooth patterns over her back and down to squeeze her ass. “Not that I’m complaining,” he said when they had parted, “But what exactly  _ are  _ we doing tonight?”

“Ordering pizza and watching a movie in the theater room I know you have somewhere up here,” Darcy said as she cast her gaze around the large penthouse. 

“If you had told me I could have gotten us access to that new movie that’s coming out Friday, or had some pizza brought in, or-” Darcy reached out and put a finger over his lips to quiet him. 

“Of course you could have, but it’s not necessary. I was checking out the movie selection available at the tower already and there’s plenty here.”

“But,” Tony started to speak even with Darcy’s finger pressed firmly into his lips.

“You could have brought in some fancy chef to make us some crazy pizza, but it’s not what I wanted, Tony. Whoever they are, they can’t make a pizza like the one at Sal’s and that’s what I’ve been craving all day. Stop trying to impress me so much, I’m impressed. I haven’t eaten dinner without you since Saturday, you do realize that right?” She brought her finger away from Tony’s mouth and smiled at him, “Now what does it take to get a drink around here, mister?”

Tony immediately jumped into action, crossing to behind the bar and beginning to fiddle with bottles. “Is mister in the running for names? Because I’ve gotta say, it’s not my favorite but I do like the respect it engenders.”

“It wasn’t, but it can be if you like it so much,” Darcy replied. 

“Nah, but it’s something to keep in mind,” Tony said as he handed over her drink. 

“Alright, sweetheart,” Darcy smiled as she hopped off the stool. “Take me to the theater!”

* * *

Darcy was right about there being a theater room, but what she hadn’t guessed was that rather than being filled with movie theater-style seats it was adorned with lush couches and recliners, most of which looked unused. An hour after the movie had started and pizza had been consumed, she had already shifted closer to Tony on the couch and had her head pillowed on his chest while he held her close. 

“Oh, shit!” Darcy shrieked as a zombie improbably made it inside a house and up a staircase in seconds flat. “No, no, no I can’t watch,” she tucked her head into Tony’s neck, shielding her view from the screen. 

Tony leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “Don’t worry, baby, I won’t let them get to you.”

When the noise of the zombie fight had quieted Darcy finally looked up at Tony and kissed him sweetly. “Thanks for protecting me,” she smiled, “And is baby a contender?”

“Shit,” Tony made a face, “Did I call you that?”

“You did, and I don’t hate it-”

“Nope, too cliche, it wasn’t even meant to be in the running, giggle pig.”

Darcy laughed, “As much as I appreciate you knowing your Brooklyn 99 references, I refused to be called a pig  _ or  _ be named after a fictional drug, but nice try.” She turned back to the screen then, curious about the fate of the characters. As the movie went on Darcy stretched out further on the couch until she lay down with her head resting on Tony’s thigh. He ran his fingers through her hair, stopping only to rub at the tense muscles of her neck every once in a while. 

“Hey, kid,” Tony said quietly when the movie had ended. “You up for another one?” Darcy didn’t respond, instead curling herself further into Tony’s body and wrapping one of her arms around his leg. “Darcy? Are you awake?” When she didn’t answer he carefully shifted himself out from underneath her, ignoring her muttered protests while he scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bed. 

After he’d gotten her tucked in he changed into his own pajamas and climbed in next to her he whispered, “Goodnight, Darcy, sleep well.”

* * *

Darcy woke in an unfamiliar room, light barely creeping in from the windows. She took in a deep breath as she cast her eyes around her surroundings and thought about the last thing she remembered from the night before. When the sound of Tony’s rhythmic breathing behind her finally registered she realized exactly what had happened and carefully got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. 

“Jarvis?” she called out softly.

“Yes, Miss Lewis?” the AI called from somewhere overhead.

“Can you tell me what time it is?”

“It is currently 8:17 in the morning.”

“Okay, great. Can you also tell me where Tony might keep some post-it notes and a pen?”

The AI directed her to what she was looking for and she quickly dashed out a note on the square piece of paper. “Tony, What’s for dinner tonight? See you later, Darcy.” Once the note was written she crept back into Tony’s bedroom and stuck the note to his glasses lenses so he’d be sure to find it. Hours later Darcy sat at her desk up to her ears in donor files when her cell phone rang. “Yeah?” she answered shortly, glad she was able to use the wireless headset in her office for cell phone calls too. 

“Well, Hello there, Darcy,” Tony grinned, “Who’s the one with bad greeting skills now?” 

“Ooof, sorry. Things are kind of crazy right now, what’s going on?” she asked apologetically.

“I’ll make it quick then - I just wanted to know what you wanted to do for dinner tonight.”

“Uh uh, no fair, I already asked you that!” Darcy said, finally putting the papers down and paying full attention to the phone call. 

“You’re right, you did, but you also pointed out that I had been the one making most of the plans so I wanted to give you another night,” Tony offered. 

“I am super not in the mood to make decisions right now, honey. Really the only thing I’m in the mood for is nachos with lots of melty cheese,” Darcy sighed. 

“Melty cheese, got it. And you’ll tell me what’s going on then?” Tony questioned her. 

“6 o’clock work for you?”

“It’s a date.” Tony smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earning that E today 😏

Before Tony’s door had fully opened Darcy was already speaking, “Look, if you tell me that I have to wear nice shoes or change clothes to go where we’re going, we just need to postpone because it is  _ not  _ happening tonight.”

“Whoa, hey,” Tony said stepping aside to let Darcy into his penthouse. “First off, you don’t have to change, you look great as is. Second, will you tell me what’s got you so wound up today? That’s the second time you’ve blown off a good greeting and I know how much you like those.”

Darcy set her stuff down on one of the side tables and made her way towards where the wet bar was. “Work was just really stressful, I’m sorry,” she explained as she got out a bottle of tequila and carefully cut some lime wedges. When she’d gotten everything she wanted from behind the bar she perched on top of one of the bar stools and poured herself a shot of tequila. “Our largest corporate donor pulled their support today,” she said quickly before tossing back the shot and biting down on the lime wedge. Tony was giving her a look that Darcy quickly interpreted, “Stark Industries doesn’t count, Tony, not when you, a Stark, is one of the people who cause the damage the charity works to repair.”

“Touche,” Tony said, walking up to her and pouring himself a shot. “Go on, then. Tell me about it.”

“They got bought out by Hammer and we both know that fucker won’t pay a dime if it means making you look good,” Darcy stated before taking another shot. “I spent all day combing through our donor records and making phone calls to see if I could recover even a tenth of the funding that we lost.”

“No such luck?”

“Zip. One of the hospitals offered to up their donation ten percent, but that’s barely a drop in the bucket compared to the two million we just lost.” Darcy took a deep breath and let it out all in a rush. “Okay,” she said looking up at Tony where he stood in front of her. “Hi Tony, how are you?”

“I’m good,” he smiled as he stepped between her legs and bent down to kiss her, “Especially now that you’re here. What do you say we save the rest of this tequila for later and I take you to your melty cheese?”

“You literally could not be more perfect right now,” Darcy smiled as she slid off the stool. 

They left the tower on foot, hand in hand as Tony steered Darcy down the sidewalk. A few blocks away from the tower Tony ducked into a storefront with crumbling brick and an almost completely faded sign. When squinting, Darcy could make out the words ‘La Cucina’ on it in a cursive script. As soon as Tony walked into the restaurant an older lady came hurrying out of the back to give him a hug. “Abuela Claudia!” Tony exclaimed with a smile on his face. “Let me introduce you to Darcy,” he gestured to where Darcy stood by his side, “If she ever comes here without me, you put her and her guests on my tab, okay?” 

“Si, señor,” the woman smiled, “Sit, sit! Let me get you something to drink.” 

Tony and Darcy made their way towards an empty booth while a younger server followed behind them with a large bowl of cheese dip and a basket of chips. “Thanks, Lin,” Tony nodded as he sat down across from Darcy. 

“Somehow I did not take you for a melty cheese connoisseur,” Darcy smiled as she dipped a chip into the waiting bowl.

“Takes one to know one,” Tony smiled. “I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager and Claudia ran the register upfront. She was already old enough to be my grandmother then, I think the tequila is keeping her alive.”

“That’s not what’s keeping me alive and you know it, Antonio,” Abuela Claudia said as she sat down two large margaritas in front of them. 

Tony grinned sheepishly and shooed her away with one hand while he picked up the frosted glass with another. “Don’t even think about it,” he said to Darcy in a mock-stern voice. 

“Don’t even think about what, Antonio?” she asked innocently. 

“That!” he said emphatically as he pointed at her with a chip. 

Darcy smiled as she took a sip of her drink, “Okay, fine, Baby. I won’t call you Antonio if you’ll tell me why you know the tequila isn’t what’s keeping her alive.”

Tony sighed dramatically, “What’s with the cliche nicknames? You’ve hit me with at least three of them in the past 24 hours, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you ignoring my question about Abuela Claudia either,” Darcy raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

“Fine, fine. You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

“You’re so anti cliche nicknames for me, I figured I’d try them on you and maybe knock you down a peg or so,” Darcy smiled shyly. 

“Uh-huh,” Tony said as he dipped a chip and waited for it to finish dripping before shoving it in his mouth. “I ad er ant urgey,” he said quickly through a mouthful of chips. 

“Excuse me, you what?” Darcy asked when he’d finished swallowing. Before he could answer Abuela Claudia approached the table for their orders.

“He gave me $96,000 for my heart transplant surgery when I needed it,” she smiled down at Darcy. “Antonio is muy generoso with his money, you could do worse than him for sure. Do you know what you’d like to order?” 

Tony clearly stretched out the description of what was sure to be his usual order while Darcy stared over the menu. “You know what, Abuela? Just make me your favorite thing to make, I’m sure it will be fantastic,” she decided when the options had reached an overwhelming number. As soon as the woman had left their table Darcy pulled the chip bowl over to her side of the table, “Uh uh, you are not shoving a chip in your mouth to avoid telling me what is sure to be a heartwarming story about you saving someone’s life.”

“It’s really not that big of a deal though?” Tony offered. “She needed help and I had the means to help her so I did.” When Darcy continued to hold the chips hostage he sighed a little and added on to his statement, “After my parents died she had food sent to me weekly just to be sure I was okay. I couldn’t just stand by and watch her suffer, okay?” he asked defensively.

“Yeah,” Darcy said solemnly as she pushed the chips back to the middle of the table. “Totally okay. Thank you for telling me.”

* * *

By the time they’d left the restaurant, Darcy had almost forgotten the stress of her workday. It wasn’t until they’d rounded a corner and the tower loomed large in front of her that she remembered what she’d left for her to pick up tomorrow and groaned. 

“Hey now, none of that,” Tony chided Darcy lightly. “We’re having fun tonight. Not thinking about donors we need or arc reactor components that may need redesigning,” he added, referencing the conversation about his own stressors from the restaurant. “There’s a bottle of tequila up there with our names on it that says so, too.”

“Yeah,” Darcy said skeptically. “I’m just not sure I’ll be able to forget so easily.”

“We’ll see about that,” Tony grinned as he held the door to the tower opened for her. “You’ve got to at least give me a shot, though, right?” 

“Sure, I’ll give you one. One shot of tequila only,” Darcy teased lightly, making an obvious effort to shake off the reminder of her workload. “The rest of the bottle is mine,” she smiled. 

When the elevator arrived at Tony’s penthouse, Darcy dashed inside and poured out one shot of tequila from the waiting bottle before she zeroed in on the drawer she’d found the post-it notes and pens in the other day. “Ah-ha!” she exclaimed when she pulled out a sharpie, dashing over to the waiting tequila bottle before Tony had even crossed the room. “Darcy’s Tequila,” she wrote out carefully across the glass front. 

“Sure,” Tony smiled as he sipped at the shot she’d left him, “Go ahead. Deface a $600 bottle of tequila, see if I care.” His tone had been nonchalant, meant to be a tease but Tony noticed Darcy’s demeanor change immediately. 

“Oh,” she said softly as she came to stand in front of him, her eyes cast down towards her shoes. “I’m sorry,” she continued, “I didn’t know it was that much.”

“Hey, kid,” Tony said as he tilted her head up so she was looking him in the eye, “I was joking. I don’t care what you do with that bottle as long as it’s not drinking more alcohol than is good for you.” Darcy raised an eyebrow, clearly thinking of something sarcastic to say back. “I know, I know. Hypocritical of me to say,” Tony added, “But I just want to save you from the awful hangover you’d have from overindulging in it. From experience.”

“Are you sure?” Darcy asked as she absently chewed her bottom lip. “That bottle is worth more than all of the alcohol I’ve bought in the past year.”

“Positive,” he replied, one finger coming up to her bottom lip to pull it out from between her teeth. “I have a whole case of it in the cellar, anyway. You’re allowed to have your own bottle.” He finished the tequila in his glass and refilled it for Darcy. After he’d gotten himself another drink (this time not from Darcy’s own bottle), he turned back to her with a raised glass. “Here,” he smiled, “To us.”

Over an hour passed by and a not-insignificant amount of tequila was missing from ‘Darcy’s’ bottle when Darcy commented, “My butt hurts. You should get better bar stools in here.”

“Mmmm,” Tony considered while he looked between Darcy and the bottle of alcohol. “And you should stop drinking this for tonight and come to the couch with me.”

“Counteroffer,” Darcy said a little too loudly, “We bring the bottle with us to the couch. I’ll even let you have some.” 

“Denied. You drink a glass of water and then come with me to the couch, final offer.”

“Or what?” Darcy prodded, “You’ll kick me out?” 

Tony wasn’t sure if it was due to the alcohol but Darcy had taken on a decidedly bratty tone in the last minute or so. “Watch it,” he said with a stern voice. “Here’s what’s going to happen here, Don Juan. You are going to drink a glass of water,” he stood up and crossed to the opposite side of the bar, pulling the tequila bottle of out Darcy’s reach and placing it up on a high shelf before filling a glass with water and setting it down in front of her. “Then, we’re both going to the couch where we’ll be able to be more comfortable. Once you’ve sobered up a little, we’ll see where the night goes.”

“Okay, Tony,” Darcy said meekly as she picked up the glass of water in front of her and took a long sip. “But no to Don Juan, too,” she added before taking another long sip. 

“That’s fine,” Tony smiled, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear before refilling the glass from her hand. “Come on,” he continued, taking her hand in his and leading her to the couch. When they got there, Darcy climbed into his lap immediately. She was a sucker for physical contact regularly but when she was buzzed, Tony noted, she was insatiable. She’d been resting her feet on his barstool earlier, knees knocking into his while her hands rested on his thighs. Now she sat with her legs draped across his, her body pressed into his chest with a few fingers reaching up to rifle through the hair at the back of his neck. 

“Mmmm,” she hummed against him, “This is much more comfortable than the stools.”

Tony chuckled, “Told you so.” His arm wrapped around her body, hand coming to rest on her hip. Her shirt had ridden up just enough for his fingers to feel the soft skin at her waist, “This okay?”

“More than,” Darcy nearly purred, shifting minutely so her shirt exposed more of her skin for Tony to touch. When he did not begin an exploration of this new territory Darcy began to pout. 

“Hey now, no pouting. I just want to make sure this is what Darcy wants, not what the tequila wants, okay?” 

“Sounds to me like you’ve spent too much time around college girls who claim tequila makes their clothes fall off,” Darcy smarted back. 

“Maybe,” Tony replied. 

“Should I be jealous?” Darcy asked, leaning up to look him in the eye. 

Tony leaned in to kiss her before saying, “No. No one else holds a candle to you, peanut.” Darcy did an exaggerated version of the nose wrinkle Tony had seen previously and before he realized it, he was leaning forward to place a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Careful, if you keep looking cute like that I’ll have to keep making up bad nicknames just to see it.”

Darcy giggled, “You keep telling me I’m cute and I might just have to fall for you.”

“She says as though she’s not already,” Tony quipped with a smile. 

“Don’t be so cocky, it’s rude,” Darcy replied as she adjusted herself so that she was straddling Tony’s lap. “Oooh, maybe I should rephrase. Don’t be so arrogant, sure, but I’m liking the cockiness I’m feeling already.” She leaned forward in an attempt to get more leverage but lost her balance on the soft cushions, causing her to fall chest first into Tony. 

“I’m sure you are,” Tony smiled as he helped to get her settled again, “But I’m going to need you to drink more water before we do anything about that okay?”

“When are you going to believe that I’ve wanted this for longer than we’ve been dating?” Darcy nearly whined, shuffling so she was even closer to him, his hard length pressing up against her center. 

“Ah, I already told you that,” Tony replied, keeping one hand on a hip while he reached for the water glass on the side table with his other. “When you’ve had another glass of water. But if you keep up the whining I may get too tired to play and just have to put you to bed.”

“Play?” Darcy laughed, “Is that what we’re calling it?” She took the glass from Tony and took a few sips from it before setting it back on the side table. 

Tony handed her the glass back immediately, “That’s up to you now isn’t it?” Darcy rolled her eyes and Tony couldn’t help but place a quick slap to her ass. “What did I just say?” 

Rather than respond, Darcy rested back on Tony’s legs and chugged down the rest of the water, “Happy now?”

“Very,” Tony smiled as he took the empty glass from her hands, “As will you be tomorrow when you don’t wake up with a hangover.”

“I’m sure,” Darcy smiled as she leaned forward to kiss him. His hands bracketed her sides, fingers meeting bare skin from where her shirt had been rucked up before. “I like it when you put your hands on me,” she whispered as she leaned over to place a trail of kisses alongside his jaw. 

“Mmmm, I gathered that when you pouted because I wouldn’t do it earlier,” he said, his hands trailing up her back underneath her shirt, pulling her closer so he was able to place a teasing bite to the pulse point on her neck. 

Darcy’s hips thrust forward instinctively when his tongue licked away the slight sting from the bite. “Now that I was good and finished the water, does that mean we can go play in your bed?”

Tony looked up into Darcy’s eyes to find them less glassy than they had been twenty minutes previously, though he still wasn’t completely comfortable trusting that it wasn’t the alcohol pushing Darcy into desiring sex. “Soon,” he whispered into her ear, distracting her with a line of small kisses until he reached her mouth. “I’m enjoying you right here,” he added to make sure she knew it wasn’t an all-out no. 

Darcy’s hands reached towards the buttons on Tony’s shirt, undoing them with a surprising amount of coordination given her stumble earlier in the night. As soon as a few inches of skin had been exposed she tore herself away from Tony’s lips to lean down and kiss at his chest while her fingers continued to work their way down his shirt. When it had finally been unbuttoned all the way Darcy shoved it off of his shoulders, placing gentle kisses around the arc reactor before moving to lick at his nipple.

“Ah ah,” Tony gasped as he suppressed a laugh, “That’s sensitive and  _ not  _ in a good way.”

“Okay,” Darcy smiled as she leaned back up and crossed her arms in front of her to grab at the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head. When she moved back to kiss him she could feel the warm skin of his chest rub against hers and nearly whimpered at how good it felt. “Tony, can we  _ please  _ go to your room,” she said against his mouth. 

“Well,” he said between kisses, “You did ask nicely.” Her eyes had cleared enough in the past few minutes that Tony had no trouble recognizing her pleas as anything other than earnest desire. A few minutes later when Darcy’s tongue was just beginning to tease his own he leaned his head back, “You do realize you’ll have to stop kissing me if you want to move to the bedroom, right?” 

“Doubt it,” Darcy replied before she picked up where she left off, licking into his mouth and pressing herself still closer to him. 

Tony reached out and took hold of her hands, moving them from their exploration of his chest to wrap around his neck. “Hold on,” he breathed as he pushed himself from the back of the couch, standing and wrapping Darcy’s legs around his waist while she continued to kiss him. He moved down the hallway towards his bedroom, only faltering in his steps when Darcy’s fingers came up to pull at his hair, knocking him off balance. 

When they reached his room he gently untangled Darcy’s legs from his waist and set her down on her feet, chuckling at her when she began to pout. “Go on, let me see you take off your jeans.”

Darcy’s eyes twinkled with excitement as she took a few steps backward while slowly unbuttoning the top button of her pants. She turned her back to Tony and pulled the zipper down, her thumbs hooking into the belt loops of the loosened fabric. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him before she began to shimmy the pants down her legs, inch by inch revealing her plain cotton underwear. “Sorry,” she turned around to step out of the pants. “I would have worn better underwear had I known this was going to happen,” she blushed. 

“Nonsense,” Tony said as he closed the distance between them. “You look fantastic anyway.” He ducked his head and kissed her while he walked them back to the bed. 

When Darcy’s knees hit she nearly fell backward, stopped only by Tony’s arms wrapped firmly around hers. “Hop up,” he said quietly to her as he released her from his hold. Darcy did as she was told, getting up on the bed and moving back towards the headboard before reaching out for Tony, already missing his touch. 

“Hey, slow down this isn’t a race,” Tony whispered into her skin while he settled himself between her legs. “I want to enjoy this,” he added before ducking his head to bite at one nipple through the lace of her bra. 

Darcy felt a surge of pleasure rush through her body at the sharp pain, followed quickly by another as Tony sucked the swollen nub into his mouth, tongue drawing circles around it lazily. “Let me,” she began to say as she moved to sit up on her elbows.

“No,” Tony replied as he pushed her back down on the bed. “Later, just let me learn about you right now.” His mouth went to the other nipple, giving it the same attention he’d given her other and grinning when he heard her moaning. 

Her legs wrapped around his waist pulling him closer to her center which was beginning to feel devastatingly ignored. When she felt the rough denim beneath her thighs she stammered, “Please, Tony. Give me something here,” she panted. “I’ve been wanting this for months now, I’ve been teased enough.”

Tony smirked up at her from where he was still teasing her breasts, “Give you something? I think I can manage that.” He propped himself up on one arm as the other snaked upwards, fingers tangling themselves in her hair before pulling. The tug was gentle at first but when Darcy’s legs wrapped tighter around him he pulled harder, relishing the sound of her desperate moans against his mouth. 

“Tony,” she gasped out, “Please I’m so wet for you. Please.”

“Okay, okay,” he teased as he leaned back on his knees to unbutton his pants. “Patience is a virtue, I hear.” Darcy gave him a dirty look which just made him laugh as he pushed the denim down his legs. “Oh, baby, I’ll take care of you. I don’t want you to ever worry about that, okay?” When Darcy nodded he added on, “I probably won’t do it on your time table though, so you’re going to have to get used to that.”

Before she could begin to question him Tony was back between her legs, this time with nothing but two thin layers of cotton between them. Darcy opened her mouth to complain but stopped herself, remembering Tony’s statement about her sass earlier. She could feel the weight of him, hot and heavy pressing against her as she wrapped her legs around him again, and she knew that would have to do for now. 

She was perfectly happy to keep things that way seconds later when Tony shifted and pressed right up against her clit. “Oh god, oh fuck,” she moaned arching up into the contact and trying for more. 

“Just wait,” Tony chuckled, “We’ll get there.” He shifted down the bed, leaving Darcy silently begging for friction against her clit while he placed kisses down her torso. There was a brief moment where Tony wasn’t touching her at all and Darcy thought she may go crazy if he didn’t do something. Then his head ducked between her legs, tongue darting out to lick up her slit above the thin cotton fabric. “Mmm, you weren’t lying,” Tony spoke, voice vibrating against her sensitive skin, “You really are soaked.”

“Why don’t you  _ do  _ something about it,” Darcy challenged as she raised herself up on her elbows, “You’re close enough.”

Tony huffed a laugh, the push of air that teased Darcy again may have been intentional but she had no way of knowing at this point. “Since when have I caved to my captor's demands?”

“Is that what I am? Your captor?”

“Well,” Tony smiled, “You’ve certainly captivated me.” Before Darcy could respond he’d pulled at the fabric of her panties with his teeth, shuffling them down her hips with practiced ease that Darcy did not want to think about. 

“Do you use that line on all your girls?” Darcy asked breathily while Tony finished pulling her panties off her legs with his hands. 

“No,” Tony replied, finishing the word with a cool burst of air to her sensitive flesh. “Just you. Now stop talking and let me focus on this.”

Darcy had always heard rumors of Tony’s insane focus when he set his mind to something, but this was the first time she was seeing it for herself. He started with slow, tentative licks to her outer folds, humming in appreciation as she thrust upwards. When he’d finished his exploration there he moved down and began a torturously slow ascent up her slit, pausing to tease at her entrance before moving on, stopping just before he’d reached her throbbing clit. Darcy gasped at the sensation and its sudden departure, “Please, Tony,” she tried to beg.

He moved back up her body quickly, “I thought I told you to stop talking.” He kissed her before she could open her mouth to respond. “Just relax,” he whispered into her ear before biting it softly. 

One of his hands reached behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra which sent a thrill of desire through her. The attention he’d paid to her breasts earlier had been great and that was through fabric, so she could hardly imagine how good it would feel to have his tongue dancing around the sensitive flesh with no barriers between them. 

Unfortunately Tony got off the bed after he pulled Darcy’s bra off of her body. He took a step back from the edge of the bed and cast his gaze at Darcy’s (finally) naked body, starting at her head and moving slowly down to her feet. He could see her body flush as his eyes traveled and he grinned down at her, “Don’t be embarrassed, you’re gorgeous.”

Darcy opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it, instead reaching out her hand towards Tony’s and pulling him closer to the bed. Knowing she was so close to having what she’d wanted for so long and that Tony was holding out on her was torturous. The added frustration of not wanting to speak and find out what would happen if she pushed him too far had her tightly wound, ready to go at the slightest brush of his fingers along her skin. 

When he finally kneeled beside her on the bed, fingers stroking ever so lightly over her skin, Darcy began to squirm in earnest. She started pressing her body up into the contact, desperate for more, only to find that Tony pulled back just as much as she pushed up, never giving her more than what he wanted to. After a few attempts to get something, anything more out of his touch Darcy finally gave in, relaxing her body down on the bed. 

“That’s it,” Tony smiled at her. “You’re getting the idea now,” he added as his fingers finally closed down around one of her nipples and tugged gently. Darcy let out a keening moan when he rolled the bud between two of his fingers, twisting it just enough to cause a spark of pain. “I like it when you make noise for me,” he said as he lowered his head down to clasp her other nipple in his mouth. The dueling sensations, hard and soft, were almost too much for Darcy. Her hips began arching up into nothing of their own accord, her cries starting with half-finished words and finishing in near desperate moans for attention. 

“Alright, alright,” he said a few minutes later. “Calm down,” he added while he made long, smooth strokes down her body. It had meant to be a comfort for Darcy, who was shaking with need, but instead, it just seemed to drive her wilder. Tony bent to kiss her as he positioned himself between her legs, grateful that he’d stripped completely before getting back on the bed. Before he settled himself between her, he bent down and licked into her, tongue coming up to swirl around her throbbing clit. 

Darcy didn’t have time to react to his tongue before his hard length was pushing into her, stretching her channel as Tony settled himself inside her. “Oh, fuck!” Darcy cried as her legs wrapped around Tony’s hips to pull him closer to her. She realized her error as soon as the words escaped her mouth and gasped when Tony placed a quick swat to her ass. Her lips were poised to apologize but she clamped them closed when she noticed Tony’s raised eyebrow. Instead, she lifted one of her hands into a fist and made a circular motion across her chest, unsure if he knew ASL but unwilling to let the moment go without an apology either way.

Tony was still above her, his hips hadn’t moved since he’d first thrust into her. Darcy squeezed her legs around him and bucked up in a vain attempt at getting him to move. When he smirked at her, she rolled her eyes and began to reach her hand down between their legs. “No,” Tony said seriously as he redirected her hand above her head, holding it down at her wrist. “Let me take care of you,” he added before bending down and grasping one of her nipples between his teeth. 

Darcy startled at the sharp burst of pain and pleasure, so focused on the feeling that she nearly missed the slow drag of Tony pulling back and nearly coming out of her before thrusting forward again, hard and fast. He released her wrist and ran his hand down her body to wedge it between them, his thumb finally pressing up against the side of her swollen nub as he pushed himself back in. The combined sensations had Darcy coming in no time, her muscles spasming around him as she let out a long, low moan. She twitched and shoved at his hand when she had finished, the press of his thumb becoming too much for her oversensitive flesh.

Tony lifted his head up from her breast and smiled at her, “You felt amazing when you were coming around me, you know?” He was slowly pumping himself in and out of her, the slick juices of her cum easing him deeper inside of her. “What do you say, up for another one?” Darcy bit her lip and looked up at him, clearly trying to determine if she should risk speaking or not. “Good girl,” he said softly, “You’re a fast learner. You can talk now, it’s okay.”

Darcy sighed happily at his statement, taking a moment to enjoy the drag of Tony’s dick inside of her before speaking. “Feels really good. But,” she paused, her breath catching as Tony picked up the pace. “I’ve never been able to come more than once,” she finished timidly. 

“Okay,” Tony said easily, “Do you mind if I finish like this?” 

“No,” Darcy smiled blissfully, “Go ahead.”

A moment passed before Tony tapped the side of her leg, “Here,” he said softly while he positioned it to rest against his shoulder. The change in angle meant Tony was able to thrust deep inside of her, settling himself to the hilt and pausing for a moment before pulling back and pushing in again. 

“Holy fuck,” Darcy moaned, “You feel so good.”

“So do you,” Tony said breathily. He ducked his head to kiss her, folding her leg between them. 

He was thrusting up against her clit now and Darcy was surprised to feel another orgasm bubbling up, this time a slow-burning desire that kept building on itself which each thrust of Tony’s body. “I think I’m going to come,” she gasped, “Keep going, keep going, please.”

“That’s it, Darcy. Come on, come for me,” he breathed into her ear. She started shaking apart beneath him, the clench of her walls pulling his own orgasm out of him while he continued to pump into her. When they had both finished he slowed to a stop, “That was incredible.”

Darcy giggled and blushed, “Stop it.” She made a half-hearted attempt to push him away while her legs lowered down to tangle themselves with his. 

“No, really,” Tony said as he pulled out of her, “Best first sex I’ve ever had.”

“Don’t go,” Darcy sighed as he lifted his body from hers. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smiled as he rolled to his back and pulled her on top of him. “We’ll need to get cleaned up before you fall asleep though,” he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Mmmm hmmm,” she replied, her eyes already drifting closed. 

A few minutes passed by with nothing but the sound of their breathing in the room before Tony spoke again, “Can I get up and get a washcloth now?” Darcy nodded against his chest, her arms loosening their grasp. Darcy was nearly asleep when he returned, so he gently cleaned her before climbing back into the bed, back resting on the headboard while Darcy rolled to pillow her head on his thigh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, I let a little bit of my other fandoms out in this chapter. Bonus points for anyone who noticed the references.


	7. Chapter 7

Darcy awoke in the middle of the night with an unfamiliar blue light just above her head. “Tony?” she asked as she lifted her head up to look at him. “What are you doing?”

“Just something I needed to work on,” Tony said quietly, “Go back to sleep.” 

“You sleep too,” Darcy yawned as she turned over on her side and closed her eyes. 

The next time she woke filtered daylight was streaming in through the tinted windows, illuminating Tony’s room enough that she could make out all of the furniture against the walls. Tony was still sitting upright fiddling with something on the tablet he’d been using in the middle of the night. “Did you not go to sleep at all?” Darcy yawned as she shuffled herself into a seated position. 

“Nah, couldn’t stop thinking, so I stayed up and worked on a problem I’ve been having in the lab,” Tony replied, setting his tablet to the side and turning to look at her. “How did you sleep?” 

“Great,” Darcy smiled before adding, “You really should have gotten some too, you know.”

“That’s what they all tell me.”

When they got out of bed Tony draped a soft robe over Darcy’s body and slipped on a pair of sweatpants for himself. They made their way to the kitchen in relative silence, Darcy heading straight to the coffee maker to get a pot brewing while Tony fished around in the refrigerator for something for breakfast. 

Once Darcy drank enough of her coffee, she spoke again, “Last night was really fun.”

“Yeah? I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Tony smiled. He paused while he thought back over their night, his mind finally settling on the thing that had been troubling him since Darcy went to sleep. “How long have you known you were into taking orders?” he asked carefully. 

Darcy stared at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened as she considered his statement. “Uh, since now, I guess?” 

“Shit. You’re kidding me,” Tony shook his head. 

Darcy flushed, “Is that bad?” 

“No, no,” Tony stated emphatically, “I should have done things differently. I would have if I had known.”

Darcy tilted her head, “Like what? Did I do something wrong?” 

Tony reached for her hand quickly, “No, not at all. Actually you were perfect, that’s why I thought you already knew. You’ve been obeying simple commands from me for days now, I just assumed you were in on it.”

“Wait, what?”

“Fuck, I’m screwing this all up, aren’t I,” Tony shook his head, dismayed at himself. 

“I am so confused,” Darcy admitted. She took a large gulp of coffee before getting up to refill her mug. “You’ve been giving me orders? Since when?” 

“Well, I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call them orders, but telling you to stop fidgeting with your earrings, for one. Or what to wear,” he added as an afterthought. 

“Or what was going to happen if I had too much tequila,” Darcy remembered his statement from the bar stools the night before. 

“Right, exactly,” he nodded. “You never questioned me and I just assumed you knew. That was my bad, I’m sorry.”

“I’m not upset, Tony, it’s okay. But maybe later we can talk about what you would have done differently?”

“Okay,” he sighed. “I’d like that.”

* * *

A few hours into her workday, Darcy received a call from Tony arranging to take her out to dinner that evening to make up for his faux pas from earlier. Darcy had insisted it wasn’t necessary, but Tony did not relent. 

“Come on, pumpkin, I promise I’m not trying to impress you, I just want to take you out.” There was a moment’s pause before Tony spoke again, “You’re making the face again aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it, sweetie, pumpkin is just not a good nickname.” Darcy sighed, “Nowhere insane though, right? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a 10-course meal as much as the next girl, but only occasionally. I think twice in six months may be my limit.”

“Nah, of course not. I know that’s not your scene; you should know it’s not mine either. Let me take you to my favorite restaurant in the city?” 

“Okay,” Darcy relented, “Pick me up from my office at 6?”

“You’ve got it, cherry pie,” Tony replied, quickly hanging up before he could hear Darcy’s rejection of the name. 

Hours later, sometime after most people had gone to lunch, a notification flashed on her monitor indicating Tony was requesting another video call. She opened the window, already moving towards the settings to turn on her web camera when Tony spoke.

“You do realize I can’t see you again, right?”

“Working on it, hold your horses, cowboy,” she replied as she changed the last setting needed. Her image came to life, “Happy now?”

Tony made a face, “Not as happy as I would be if I hadn’t just gotten myself quarantined in the lab.”

“Wait, what?” Darcy asked, confusion crossing her features. 

“So, you know that nice dinner I wanted to take you on tonight? Probably not going to happen.”

“Can we rewind a minute and go back to the part where you were quarantined?”

He looked away from the camera to something Darcy couldn’t see, “I’m quarantined in my lab until further notice.”

“Right, right, I heard that. I was hoping you’d expound on the why you’re quarantined in the lab, though.”

“Uh,” Tony stalled.

“I’m going to take a moment here to remind you that my best friend works in the labs on your floor and gossip spreads like wildfire in this building so if you’re thinking of making up something that sounds better than what really happened, you should maybe not do that.”

Tony’s face faltered, “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” He let out a long sigh before speaking again, “I was trying to see if I could pump sedatives into Bruce’s lab from mine in case he gets angry. When I opened the ventilation shaft I got hit with an unidentified ball of slime. I’m on lockdown until we figure out what it is and if it’s dangerous. Can’t go spreading sentient slime around the tower by accident, and all.”

“It’s sentient?!” Darcy exclaimed. “Are you okay?” she added quickly. 

Tony huffed, shaking his head, “I don’t know anything about it, let alone it’s ability to feel. But I’m fine, I think. I took a decontamination shower, changed clothes. Until we identify what it is I’ve got to stay here in case the regular shower wasn’t good enough.”

“Okay,” Darcy nodded. “How long will it take?”

“That’s the thing, we don’t have any idea. It could be an hour, it could be 7 hours,” he sighed. “Knowing how this process works I’m guessing it’ll be on the longer side, though. Can we raincheck dinner?”

“Sure, that’s fine. I’ve still got a few thousand donors to call anyway,” she admitted, taking a glance down at what she’d scrounged up so far today. 

“Any luck?” 

“The bricklayers union offered to sponsor the angel tree in the tower lobby this year?” 

“Ouch. Tell you what, have JARVIS order whatever you want for dinner, my treat,” the corner of his mouth ticked up into a sly grin. “And don’t work too late, you never know I could get out early enough to come see you.” 

“Thanks, Tony. I’ve gotta get back to calling people and begging,” Darcy waved at the camera before closing out of the window and turning back to her call list. 

* * *

“J, do you know what Darcy ordered for dinner? I was thinking of sending her a bottle of wine to go with it,” Tony asked from where he was sprawled on the couch in his lab. 

“Miss Lewis has not ordered dinner, Sir. May I ask why you were going to send her wine? I may be able to suggest something.”

Tony tossed a ball into the air, catching it in his hand and throwing it again before responding. “Do I need to work on your code? When did you stop knowing everything about me?” 

“Never, Sir. I was just asking to confirm your feelings before I made a suggestion to Miss Lewis.”

“A suggestion on what, exactly?” Tony sat up straight, his sole focus on the answer from the AI. 

“Miss Lewis inquired about what to get you for Christmas as she has chosen your name in the Secret Santa.”

“Pull up the music video for the best selling modern Christmas song,” Tony replied as he walked to his desk. On the wall next to him, Mariah Carey was singing about what she wanted for Christmas while showing off her husband and dogs. “J, got an update on how much longer I’m stuck here?”

* * *

The sun had set hours before Darcy heard a soft knock at her office door. “What?” she asked sharply, pausing her iPod and pulling at her earbuds as she worked on compiling a list of people she’d need to call the next day. 

“Darcy?” Tony asked as he opened the door, sticking his head into the darkened office. “Can I come in?” He stepped inside as soon as she nodded, walking to the lamp in the corner and turning it on. “How long have you been working today?” 

“You can’t seriously be asking me that,  _ Jane _ has mentioned how many days you go without sleep locked in your lab and I’ve had to hand feed her pop tarts in darker times.”

“I’m just curious,” he shrugged in an attempt at nonchalance. “I don’t mean anything by it.”

“Uh-huh, sure you don’t,” Darcy spat. 

“Whoa,” Tony said, holding his hands in front of him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t work too late,” Darcy said snottily. “Just because I like to obey in the bedroom doesn’t give you permission to try and control my life!” She stood up and crossed her desk so she was standing in front of him. 

“That’s not fair, and you know it!” Tony replied, his anger flaring at the idea that he would try and use a kink to boss anyone around. “We agreed we’d talk about that at a later time.”

“Didn’t seem to stop you from trying to tell me what to do earlier, huh?” Tony took in a deep breath, recognizing his heart racing and the need to calm himself down before he responded. “Okay,” he said calmly, “I understand why you think I may have meant that, but I need you to know that was never my intention. I care about you, Darcy, I didn’t want you to overwork yourself. I would have said it to any of my friends.”

Darcy’s eyes went wide, a flash of pain crossing her eyes before they settled back to anger. “Friends?! Is that all we are?”

Tony took two steps away from her, distancing himself before replying. “I only seem to be making things worse here, so I’m going to go, alright?”

“Fine,” Darcy said as she returned to her desk. “I have things to do anyway.”

* * *

It wasn’t long before Tony was peeking his head back through her office door, “Hey, Darcy? Jarvis said you never ordered dinner so I brought you something to eat.” He took a step through the door and brought the smell of hot food in with him. Before Darcy could respond her stomach groaned loudly enough that she could hear it over the music playing in her ears. “You don’t have to eat with me, but you do have to eat. And before you yell at me again, this is me, your employer, telling his employee that they need to eat to survive and that they are entitled and encouraged to take as many meal breaks as they need.” 

Darcy’s face fell, “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Come in, please eat with me.”

“You’re sure?” Tony asked as he crossed the room to her desk and placed the bag of food down. 

“I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled whatever’s in that bag,” she admitted. “If you got enough food for yourself, I’d like it if you stayed and ate with me.”

“Hot sandwiches,” Tony nodded as he opened the bag and began to lay out the food he’d brought with him. “When’s the last time you ate, anyway?”

“Um,” Darcy thought back across her day. “Breakfast?”

“Ah-ha,” Tony smiled, “Someone gets hangry.”

Darcy gasped, “I do not!”

“Okay, okay,” Tony said holding up his hands in surrender. “You don’t get hangry. I’ll just shut up and eat my sandwich.”

A few minutes and half of a sandwich later Darcy cleared her throat, “Okay so maybe I get hangry.” Tony smiled and took another bite of his sandwich, wisely opting to stay silent.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday mornings had become somewhat sacred to Tony since the rest of the team moved into the tower. He’d hole up in his penthouse drinking coffee and catching up on whatever he’d missed during the week. Books, movies, television shows, it didn’t really matter to him as long as he had the time to himself. 

And then came Darcy. Sleeping in his bed, hair sprawled out across the pillow, one arm draped across his thighs. He’d kicked out every girl he’d been with on a Saturday night since the tower had been rebuilt, but last night when they got back it was 2 in the morning and Darcy hadn’t been able to stand up straight, let alone walk. There was no way Tony would have let her sleep alone that night, what if something happened and she needed medical attention? 

He was surprised at how fast she’d gotten under his skin. A week ago at this time he was halfway through the New York Times bestseller and looking forward to a private screening of the latest blockbuster, but now Darcy was using him as a pillow and he’d be damned if he disturbed her. 

She’d spent the past four days with him exclusively except for work, and the last time he’d spent that long with the same woman he’d almost ended up married and miserable, never feeling quite comfortable enough to be himself with her. He’d made a promise to himself not to enter into a relationship again unless he’d had a real, honest conversation about his likes and desires, yet here he was in the beginnings of a relationship with Darcy and he still hadn’t talked to her about how he fucked up the other day. 

They hadn’t slept together since then, and although Tony could rationalize it, it didn’t stop him from worrying. They’d both been exhausted the day of the quarantine, then Friday night Darcy had insisted Tony do every cliche wintertime activity in the city which meant they had been human icicles when they got back. Last night Tony had convinced her to come out to a nightclub with him and try staying out late relieving some stress. He’d been certain the night would end in sex but then she took three shots while his back was turned and had gone from buzzed to sloppy drunk in no time. 

“You’re thinking awfully loudly for Sunday morning,” Darcy spoke groggily, warm breath puffing out across his leg. 

Tony startled, his hand tangling in the hair he hadn’t realized he’d been stroking until Darcy spoke. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he admitted sheepishly. 

“Mmm, it’s okay, it feels nice. Don’t stop, maybe I’ll fall back to sleep,” she replied as she shuffled closer to him on the bed. 

Tony resumed the languid strokes he’d been making earlier while he considered how he could possibly start the conversation with Darcy that he needed to have. He’d been hesitant to bring up the obedience issue since Thursday, even knowing that her anger had been misplaced and not related. He began to consider other angles of entry into the discussion, how he might sidestep into it without saying anything triggering when his thoughts were interrupted by Darcy once more. 

“Nope, not happening. You’re still thinking too loudly,” she sat up in bed and kissed him. “Good morning, buttercup.”

The name shocked Tony out of where he’d been all morning, “Nope, nada, stricken. I am not a princess bride or one of the Foundations.”

Darcy chuckled, “Come on, let’s go make coffee before we talk about whatever is bothering you.” She got out of bed and stretched, reaching immediately for Tony’s robe that he’d given her the first morning she’d stayed over. As she walked across the room Tony could faintly hear her singing, “Why do you build me, buttercup baby, just to let me down and mess me around?” 

Over the past few mornings, Tony had been collecting facts about morning time Darcy. One - no conversations before she’d had at least one cup of coffee. Two - ask Darcy about breakfast in the infinitesimal amount of time between coffee number two and three or she’d decide she wasn’t hungry and start the day on an empty stomach. Three - Resist the urge to cuddle at all costs, she will use you as a pillow and go back to sleep even after two cups of abnormally strong coffee. Four - Any baked breakfast food with chocolate was her favorite breakfast food. 

All of this fact-finding meant that Tony was about as prepared as he could be for a conversation he was already nervous about. She had just finished her second cup of coffee and was making moves to go get her third when Tony stopped her with his leg propped on the coffee table. “Hey, come sit with me,” he gestured for her to sit in the space next to him. She sat down next to him and folded herself up in his arms. “You’re not going to go to sleep like that, are you? Because I ordered some chocolate topped sour cream donuts and I’m not sure they’d make it until you woke up.”

Darcy sat up immediately, “Take me to the donuts. I want them right now. Why are they not already in front of me?”

Tony leaned forward and kissed her quickly before releasing her from his hold and standing up. “They only got here a minute or two ago,” he led her towards the kitchen where somehow, miraculously, there was now a box of donuts sitting next to the coffee pot. 

“Holy shit I think I love you,” Darcy said in a rush before clapping her hand over her mouth and blushing. “I mean, I, uh, love donuts,” she nodded quickly before turning around and refilling her coffee mug while trying to pretend she wasn’t mortified. 

“You won’t be so embarrassed after you try this,” Tony slid a plate with a donut by her elbow. “They’re still warm,” he gloated. Darcy did her best to hide her chuckle, though she failed a moment later when he added, “My chocolate eclair.”

“Nooooo,” Darcy groaned, turning around to face him. “That’s awful.”

“You haven’t even heard my reasoning. You’ve got this rich, dark hair which is like the chocolate, and then underneath all that is a pale, delicious-”

“NOPE!” Darcy interjected, “Don’t even finish that statement. Me and my coffee are going to the breakfast bar where there are no comparisons to food happening, only the eating of it.”

“Right, but I like eating you too,” he added before she turned away. 

“Oh my god, why do I put up with you?” she asked as she took a seat at the raised bar. 

“Well,” Tony said awkwardly, “I guess that’s one way to start this conversation.” He sat down across from her and started in on his own plate.

Darcy gasped, “You tricked me!” She took a bite of the donut, bliss crossing her face as she tasted the sweet pastry. “Shit, it may be worth it,” she added mostly to herself. 

“I did no such thing! I simply bought breakfast for my girlfriend,” Tony paused briefly and then rushed on, “Who loves chocolate donuts and also asked why she puts up with me.”

“Girlfriend, huh?”

“Maybe? I was hoping, at least. Once we talk about the other night.”

Darcy took a sip of coffee and considered her words, “Which night? The one with the awesome sex or the one where I yelled at you a lot?”

Tony’s eyebrow shot up as a slight smile came over his face, “The first one mostly, but now that you mention it.”

“Okay,” Darcy said as she got up from her seat and crossed back into the kitchen to grab the box of donuts and the insulated coffee carafe to set on the bar between them. “Why don’t you start by telling me what you would have done differently if you had known I wasn’t fully aware of the orders thing?”

“God, we’re diving right in aren’t we?”

“Quit stalling, Tony. That’s what you said bothered you the other day and you said we’d discuss it so here’s the chance,” she smarted. 

His eyebrows raised and his jaw set in the way that Darcy was coming to recognize happened when he was silently questioning her attitude. Evidently he chose to let his frustration pass, “It’ll be better off if I start by asking you some questions first, okay? They may be somewhat awkward, but I need to get a good idea of the level of your understanding before I can really go any further.” When Darcy nodded he took a breath and spoke again, “What’s the kinkiest thing you’ve done?”

“Uh,” Darcy stated, “Other than what we did the other night? I guess, the usual intro stuff a few times when my exes wanted to try it.”

“I need specifics, Darcy,” Tony stated firmly but gently. 

She rolled her eyes and had to suppress a laugh when he made his ‘adjust your attitude’ face. “Some handcuffs once, a blindfold a few times, spanking,” she finished.

“Spanking for punishment or spanking for pleasure?” When Darcy tilted her head in question he added, “Or neither, just spanking in the act of intercourse?”

“That one,” Darcy nodded. 

“Alright, did you ever use a safeword? Do you know what one is?” 

“No, I’ve never used one but I’m familiar with the concept.”

Tony nodded, “Okay, good. Thank you for answering my questions.”

“You’re welcome?” 

Tony pushed Darcy’s plate with her donuts towards her, gesturing to it with his head. “Eat, let me explain.” Darcy obliged willingly and he smiled, “I enjoy pretty kinky sex. It’s not always very intense, but there’s always an element of dominance in sex for me.”

“Like the other night when you told me to stay quiet and not to try and get myself off?”

“Yes, that’s one way.”

“What are some of the other ways, then?” 

Tony considered his next words carefully, “Well, there’s bondage - handcuffs or other forms of restraints is what you’ll be most familiar with. I particularly like obedience, knowing that who I’m with trusts me to keep their best interests in mind while I’m getting my own pleasure, too. Some people like being called dirty names or being punished by a Dom-”

“When you say punished?” Darcy asked.

“Mostly it’s what it sounds like. We’d have a set of rules to obey and if you broke a rule, you’d have to receive punishment. Spanking is the easiest, but orgasm denial or over stimulating the clit also works.” He watched as Darcy winced at the thought of each of the things he mentioned before speaking again.

“And the difference between spanking for punishment and for pleasure is what, exactly?”

“That one depends on the individual. When you were spanked during sex, did you enjoy it?”

“I mostly wished they’d hit me harder,” Darcy replied as she poured more coffee into her cup. 

“Got it. So it sounds like you probably get turned on by being spanked if it’s done correctly. Some people are not, and for them, spanking is always going to be punishment. But since there are people like you out there who would just get pleasure out of it, there needs to be a way to spank that is more like a punishment. In the past I’ve used counting, it seems to work well to keep the mind focused on something and dulling the pleasure.” Tony took a few bites of donut and then asked, “What other questions do you have?”

Darcy’s mind was racing through a million scenarios, trying to determine what question was most important, which she needed to save for later. The silence between them was beginning to fill with tension and before she knew it she spat out, “Would I get to choose my own safeword?”

Tony laughed, reaching out to take her hand in his own while he prepared to respond. “You’re really too perfect, you know that? Of course, you can pick your own safeword, but I’d like to make a suggestion first?” Darcy nodded for him to continue, “There’s a stoplight system that tends to work pretty well. Red means stop, green means go, etc. It allows me to check in with you if we’re in an intense scene, but it also gives you something short and easy to say if you need me to stop.”

“That’s entirely too logical,” Darcy deadpanned. 

“Kinksters are nerds, too, baby doll.”

Darcy’s nose wrinkled, “I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of dolls, thank you.”

“What else?”

Darcy thought for a moment, “What’s the kinkiest thing you’ve done?”

“Are we really going there?” Tony’s eyes had widened at the question. “I had a particularly wild period in my twenties that I’d rather not bring into this.”

“Fair’s fair, you asked me. Anyway, I need some idea of the scope of this thing before I can really make a judgment call on if I’m interested in it.”

“Two different questions,” he nodded. “Let’s save the first one for later and I can tell you more about what I am into now, hmm?”

“Okay, but don’t think I’m going to forget that you dodged that question…Sir?” Darcy tried formally addressing him. 

Tony smiled wide, “You’re a fast learner, kid, I gotta tell you I really like that. I’m not a huge fan of ‘Sir’ as an honorarium for me, though, I’ll start getting turned on when talking to Jarvis.”

Darcy laughed, “Okay. Sir is off the list, understood.”

“You were right in practice, I would like it if you addressed me with a title of respect, we’ll just have to figure out what that is later.” Tony refilled his own cup of coffee before adding on, “I already told you I like obedience. I enjoy taking care of someone, whether it’s making sure they actually eat dinner,” he raised his eyebrow pointedly, “Or ensuring they get as much pleasure as I can give them.”

“‘Let me take care of you’,” Darcy repeated the words he’d said to her multiple times in the past week. 

Tony’s cheeks pinked at the statement, “Exactly.”

“So let me get this straight, the man who is most well known in the tower for four-day-long work binges on one day worth of food wants to manage my diet?”

Tony shrugged, “That only happens when I don’t have a partner to think of. And I wouldn’t call it managing really. I don’t care what you eat or who you eat it with, I mostly just care that you eat and take care of yourself. If you haven’t eaten and we start a scene it could be dangerous,” he added so she understood the motive behind that particular point.

Darcy let his words sink in for a moment. Jane had been working at the tower for two years now and had regularly complained about Tony’s work habits since she started, which could only mean that he’d not been with anyone serious in at least that much time. “That’s fair,” she conceded. “What would this look like for me? Following your orders 24 hours a day?”

“Not at first, no,” Tony replied honestly, “It’ll be up to you if you want to take it further than that. Look,” he sighed, “This would mostly just be in the bedroom, or things related to it, like the eating, at first. Everything that is outside of this apartment would be free reign. The only exception I can possibly think of is if we’re under attack. I won’t be able to focus on the fight if I know you aren’t safe, but I would hope your sense of self-preservation would prevent that from being an issue.”

“Tasing Thor was a fluke that I never intend to repeat again,” she smiled. 

“We’d discuss and agree on a set of standard rules that we both adhere to. Those rules are subject to change if we both agree they aren’t working for us or if a particular situation deems it necessary.” Darcy nodded but stayed silent, clearly thinking over everything they’d just talked about. “Tell you what,” Tony suggested, “Why don’t we go to the living room. I’ve got a book I’ve been wanting to read, I’m sure there’s  _ something  _ in this penthouse to keep you entertained. We can pick up this conversation again later after you’ve had more time to think about it.”

“Okay,” Darcy replied, hopping off of the stool she’d been perched on. “Hand me a tablet and I’m set for a few hours.”

* * *

An hour or so had passed by with Tony nose deep in a book, Darcy sitting on the couch with her legs resting on his lap. One of her feet had slowly been migrating closer and closer to his loosely covered crotch and it had finally made the contact she was not-so-subtly hoping for. Tony reached down and guided her foot back to where it had been moments previously, holding it there while rubbing soft circles on the soles of her feet. He’d stopped after a few moments, certain that Darcy was preoccupied again and he could continue reading, when he felt her heel brush up against the tip of his half-hard cock. Once again, he moved her foot back to where it had been before, only this time he lowered both of his hands and rested the open book on her feet. Now that her feet were restrained, Darcy was shifting uncomfortably on the couch. “Was there something you wanted?” Tony asked, placing his finger in the book page to mark his place but keeping his hands firmly on her feet. 

Darcy blushed, “Well, um, I’ve been doing some research, I guess?”

“There’s no reason to be nervous or embarrassed, Darcy. One thing you should know is that I will never shame you for what you are interested in trying.”

She sighed, setting aside the tablet on the coffee table and started over again. “I’ve been reading more about Dominants and submissives and their interactions.”

“Right,” Tony replied calmly. “What were you reading?”

“Mostly blogs about it, experiences people have had. Rules their Dominants required of them.” Darcy’s face had flushed by the time she’d finished speaking, regardless of Tony’s statement about her embarrassment. Tony opted to stay silent and let her figure out what she wanted to say next, knowing the extended silence would get to her before his patience ran out. “I’mreallyturnedon,” Darcy said quickly.

“Is that so?” Tony smiled, setting the book down and beginning to massage the soles of her feet. She squirmed in her seat on the couch and pleasure shot through Tony at her reaction. 

“Yeah, I mean. Yes, Master?” 

Tony shook his head, “Too formal for my tastes, but good try. What would you like to do about that?” he asked, one of his hands stretching out to caress the bare skin of her legs. 

Darcy shivered at the contact, “I know you just like to relax on Sunday mornings, but I was kind of hoping you’d want to stop that so we could fool around?”

Faster than a blink, Tony had grabbed Darcy’s legs and pulled her closer to him so he could settle her straddling his lap. “That could be arranged,” he said as his eyes darkened and his hands came to brace her hips. 

“Fuck,” Darcy breathed out, “How are you so good at this?” 

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “Practice.” Before Darcy had a chance to recover from the onslaught of pleasure his breath had brought, Tony nibbled gently on her ear lobe sending another shock through her body. She circled her hips in an attempt to rub off against him, but his hands kept her braced just above where she wanted to be. “Stop,” his voice had deepened, taking on the serious tone she’d heard the last time they had been together. 

When Darcy’s body had stopped all motion, Tony smiled, “Good girl.” The quiver his words sent down her body had not been expected but was a welcome piece of information. “You like it when I praise you, hmmm.” He leaned his head forward again to bite at the pulse point on her neck, tongue darting out to soothe the sting before he backed away.

“Yes,” Darcy exhaled. “I definitely liked that. Now can there be more of it?” 

“Patience,” Tony shook his head. “Before we do anything I need to make sure you understand something.”

Darcy sighed dramatically. “Yes, Dad,” she whined.

Tony’s eyebrow quirked up at the comment. “Watch the attitude, missy, I’ll turn this car around!” he joked to lighten the mood. After Darcy smiled back at him he continued to speak, “If you don’t like something I’m doing what do you say?”

“Stop?” Darcy offered with a shrug. 

“It’d work for now, but there may come a time when it’s not the best safe word to use.” Tony saw the light bulb go off behind Darcy’s eyes and smiled. 

“Red. I’d say red to get you to stop, and if I needed you to slow down some I’d say yellow.”

“Perfect,” he kissed her. “Then what do you say we head back to the bedroom and find out more about what you like?”

Darcy grinned, “I’d like that. A lot.”


	9. Chapter 9

Tony had asked permission to tie Darcy up before asking her to kneel on the bed with her hands stretching to his headboard. He’d placed a pillow under her hips and helped her to lay down before reaching into a bedside drawer and pulling out a set of maroon silk ties and fastening her hands down. “I want to stick with things you’re at least passively familiar with for now, okay?” he asked her. “That means I’ll be spanking you,” he explained, “We’ll save the blindfolds for another day.”

“Okay,” Darcy replied, already feeling like she’d misspoken for not addressing him with some form of a title. 

“What’s your color, Darcy?” he asked as he moved off the bed to stand next to her. 

“Green,” she purred, gasping out when Tony placed a light smack to her ass. 

“Good girl,” he smiled before rubbing a hand over her ass and up her back. Darcy began to relax into his touch, enjoying the sensation of his hands caressing her. He tapped at the inside of her thigh, gently pushing on her leg until he had a full view of her. “Beautiful,” he exhaled as his fingers tentatively explored her slit. 

“Mmmm,” he hummed when he felt how wet she was already, “Is this all for me?” He had already pressed one finger deep inside her. He saw her nod her head vigorously and gave her a quick, sharp slap on her ass, grinning to himself when he felt her pussy clench around his finger. “If I ask you a question, I expect a verbal answer unless otherwise told, Darcy.”

“S-s-sorry,” she stammered out, body trembling with desire. “Yes, Tony,” she replied in answer to his previous question.

“No need to apologize,” he whispered into her ear, “We learn as we go.” He was slowly pushing another finger into her tight channel, enjoying watching her try and squirm backward but not getting anywhere due to the restraints on her wrists. No sooner had his second finger settled into place when he pulled them both out quickly, hovering his hand just close enough to Darcy’s center that she knew he was still there, yet still further back than she could make it in the ties. 

Her hips bucked up and back wildly seeking any contact she could get on her dripping pussy. Knowing that if she wasn’t bound to the headboard she’d be able to push herself back onto Tony’s hand, or barring that, get herself off even, was torture. Just as soon as he had stopped touching her, he started again, three fingers plunging into her this time. 

“Oh, fuck, that’s so good,” Darcy sighed, jumping when she felt the familiar slap of Tony’s hand against her. 

“Language, Miss Lewis,” he grinned while he admired the red mark on her ass his hand had left. 

“You sound like my third-grade teacher when you call me that,” she remarked sassily. 

“Miss Lewis,” he paused as though he were taking notes on a piece of paper rather than fingering her, “Only use for roleplay, got it.”

Darcy groaned as she pushed back against Tony’s hand. She’d made a promise to herself not to beg for more unless she absolutely couldn’t stand it but she was beginning to have doubts about her ability to uphold it. Her clit was throbbing with need while Tony stroked up into her, fingers rubbing over the rough spot inside her that made her knees quiver. “I thought you were going to be spanking me,” she tried instead, hopeful that if he removed his fingers from her she could get them on her clit easier. 

“I see we’re going to have to have a talk about proper bedroom decorum,” Tony replied, slowing the movement of his fingers to a halt. “Such an attitude is not going to win you any points with me, babygirl.” The name had slipped out, not even something he’d meant to say, but he took note of the small gasp Darcy made just the same. Before Darcy was ready, he pulled his fingers from her and moved his hand away, careful not to touch any part of her wet pussy. 

“Nooooo,” she moaned, turning her head around to glare at him.

“Yes,” Tony replied with a grin. “My bedroom, my rules.” His hand came down swiftly, a loud slap echoed through the room from where it had made contact with her ass.

“Fuck,” Darcy gasped out at the contact. Her body was shaking, breath coming fast. 

Tony soothed over the spot he’d just hit, “What’s your color, Darce?”

“Green,” she replied, voice steady. “Definitely green.”

“Good girl,” he smiled before striking her again, enjoying watching the shock wave ripple through her body. 

“Tony,” she cried out, “Tony, please.”

He spanked her again, this time on the opposite cheek and stood back to admire his work so far. “You’re gorgeous like this,” he said softly. “I mean, you’re gorgeous anyway, but there’s something special about having you all tied up and wanting like this.” Her hips were bucking as he spoke. He could see her pussy clenching around nothing, silently begging for more attention.

Behind her, Darcy could hear the sound of a zipper being pulled down and couldn’t restrain her moan at the thought of his dick inside her again. “Yes, please, god, yes,” she began to say quietly into the bed. She heard the distinct sound of his clothes hitting the floor and yet still he was nowhere near her. 

The bed dipped behind her and Darcy could feel his body heat between her legs. She could still feel the slow burn from his last slap if she concentrated on it, which is how she’d missed the sound of his hand raising up in the air to smack her again. Her body surged forwards on the bed, head nearly colliding with the headboard before she stopped herself. She was prepared when he hit her other cheek, bracing herself for the blow. 

Just when she thought he’d hit her again she felt his cock push into her, eased by the slick fluid she’d been working up since he’d begun his teasing. The air left her body when his warm, heavy cock hit the end of her channel, his pubic bones pressing into the spaces that were still smarting from being spanked. Everything was in sharp focus for her now, each breath they were taking cataloged alongside the cacophony of sensations she was feeling.

“Tony, Tony, Tony,” she breathed out as he pumped into her. She could feel her orgasm building up, hot and fast. The tension she felt built up more when she remembered that subs in a few of the blogs she’d read had to ask permission to finish. Tony had never said that was a rule of his, but she desperately wanted to prove to him that she could do this, was good and would not make mistakes. “Yellow,” she panted, “Yellow,” she said again, this time louder. 

Tony’s rhythm slowed to a near stop instantly, “You okay, Darcy?” He reached forward to push some of the hair out of her face so she could see him. She was panting hard, her face flushed with color and her eyes wide black orbs with a small ring of blue.

“I’m really, really close,” she replied, unable to prevent her hips from trying to push back against his cock for more friction. “And I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to ask you if I could come or not,” she added. 

“Is that all?” he asked, beginning to pick up the pace again.

She breathed out her response, “Yesss.”

The quick rhythm from before had resumed before Tony spoke again, “Until and unless I tell you otherwise, you are always allowed to come as many times as you’d like.” One of his hands left her hip, dipping down into the space between her legs to tap at her clit as he fucked into her. “Come for me, babygirl,” he growled, voice taking on the deep tone of a command. “Let me feel you come on my cock.”

Darcy had no trouble obeying his command, already worked up as she was. Her body shook around him, beckoning him to follow her to orgasm. The moans he could hear were filled with pleasure and when Darcy turned to look back at him from over her shoulder, he lost it, spilling into her in a surge of power. He took his time pulling out of her, enjoying the sensation of her surrounding him. 

Gently, he leaned up and untied the silk restraints, freeing her wrists. “You can turn around now,” he said softly, “If you want.”

Darcy lay on the bed boneless, “Mmmm, no ability to move right now, but thanks.”

Tony chuckled and lay down beside her, “Want me to get you some water?”

“No,” she said quietly as she shuffled across the bed to be closer to him. “Want you to stay here with me,” she added, nestling her head on his chest. 

She couldn’t be certain how much time had passed, only that the sweat had gone cold against their skin. She’d been rethinking everything that had just happened when a worm of doubt wiggled in and wouldn’t let go. Every time Tony had given her a command today it had been in that same low, strong tone that she was already finding impossible to ignore. Darcy thought back to Thursday when he’d called her about the quarantine and offered to buy her dinner anyway. When he’d told her not to work too late, he’d not had that tone of voice, instead, it was a casual like they were in a regular conversation. 

“Hey, Tony?”

“Yeah, babygirl?” he felt her hum appreciatively at the name and smiled to himself for figuring it out. 

“I’m sorry for yelling at you the other night. You weren’t trying to tell me what I needed to do and it was stupid of me to jump to that conclusion.”

Tony shuffled beneath her, turning on his side so he could look her in the eye. “Thank you for apologizing, Darcy. What made you change your mind?”

“Your tone of voice,” she smiled. “You were just talking like normal, not in your do-as-I-say-or-you’ll-regret-it voice.”

“I have one of those?” he asked.

One of Darcy’s eyebrows arched up, “You’re kidding me right now, right?” When Tony shook his head she explained, “Your voice gets all deep and serious when you’re telling me what to do.”

Tony leaned in to kiss her, “Perfect. That should help clear things up for you.”

A few moments passed in silence before she spoke again, “Hey, Tony?”

“Mmmmhmmm,” he replied sleepily. 

“Why babygirl?”

His mouth ticked up into a grin, “So you  _ do  _ like it. That’s good to know.”

“Maybe,” she grinned. 

“I don’t know, to be honest. It just slipped out.”

“Well, I think maybe I could live with it.”


	10. Chapter 10

It didn’t take long for Darcy to learn what Tony had meant when he mentioned ‘bedroom decorum’ to her. The first thing was that she was to always answer a question that was asked of her, and when appropriate she should end her response with his title. She’d put a pin in the title issue to revisit later. His second rule required that she should not be disrespectful to him. That meant she wasn’t supposed to sass back at him, no matter what. She insisted that she would have a hard time with that and his response had just been a wicked grin and a statement about punishment. 

That was another thing she had to get used to - if she broke one of the rules they both agreed upon she would be punished. So far her ‘punishments’ had just been quick slaps to her ass to redirect her when she was acting out, but before too long she knew her mouth would get away from her. She was oddly excited about it.

After they got out of bed (again) on Sunday, Darcy had begun to troll the internet for information on standard names for subs to call their Doms. She figured she’d start with the most common, sticking to her cliche theme, and then branch out into the odd ones. Over the past two days, she’d tried out a number of them, mostly in jest, until finally there was one left on her list. 

If she was honest with herself, she’d known she was drawn to it from the moment she saw the name. It would make sense, he did call her babygirl after all (and kid, now that she thought about it). The name itself wouldn’t have given her pause if it weren’t for their obvious age difference, but then again she had always been into older men. 

And then the moment came. Darcy panicked at first, her heart pounding in her chest, while her mouth gaped. Tony had been telling her that she needed to eat something besides pastries for breakfast, something with protein would be nice. “And if you don’t like eggs, I can give you my sausage,” he quipped. When she rolled her eyes and muttered a  _ whatever  _ he’d snapped to attention. “Excuse me?” 

The longer she waited the more upset Tony would be, she needed to pull herself together. She saw him glance at his watch, a sure sign that he’d noticed her silence. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said finally. 

Tony was by her side in an instant, kissing her deeply and walking her back against the wall. When he pulled back from her she saw how large his pupils were and thrilled at the knowledge that she’d done that with just one word. “Say it again,” Tony requested. 

“Daddy.”

He kissed her again before saying, “Wow, I never knew I was into that until just now.”

“Really? I mean, you call me ‘babygirl’, I thought you had some indication.”

“Honestly, had no idea. You’re sure you’re okay with it? The whole Daddy/babygirl thing?”

Darcy shrugged, “Listen when you call me babygirl I don’t get the urge to suck on a pacifier or watch Doc McStuffins. I just like it when you call me that, it makes me feel special.”

“Good,” Tony smiled, “You should. When you called me Daddy after smarting off like that I had the urge to punish your tight ass for sassing me.”

“So that’s it, then? Daddy and babygirl?” Darcy asked through the grin on her face. 

“If it works for you, it works for me.” When Darcy nodded he spoke again, this time his voice deepening to the tone that Darcy now knew commanded respect, “Names have meaning, babygirl. If you disrespect my name it is the same as disrespecting me. The same goes for you, but I’m not the one with a problem holding my tongue,” he winked. 

* * *

“Miss Lewis,” Jarvis toned from somewhere around Darcy’s desk. “I’d just like to make note that the time is now 6:07 pm.”

“Fuuuuuuuuuck,” Darcy groaned. “J, did he tell you to remind me?” she asked as she quickly shut down her computer and gathered her things from her office.

“No, Miss Lewis, however, he is aware of your tardiness.” Darcy let out another curse as she raced to the elevator, grateful that Jarvis knew exactly where she was going so she had time to do a quick touch up to her makeup and run her fingers through her hair. Tony had told her Sunday night that if they had plans he expected her to be in his penthouse by 6:00, no later, and she had already been late once. When the elevator opened at Tony’s penthouse she rushed through the small lobby coming to a halt in front of Tony’s front door. She took a deep breath, readying herself for the scolding she was sure was to come. 

She turned the handle to the door only to find it locked. “Jarvis? Can you help a girl out here?” 

“I’m sorry, I have been instructed not to let you in.”

Darcy sighed, knocking at the door a few times so she could be let in. A few minutes passed with no sound from the other side of the door. “Is this area soundproofed, J?” As soon as the AI confirmed her suspicions she knew what she needed to do. She took a deep breath and considered her words carefully. 

“Daddy? I’m sorry I was late, I know I am supposed to here by 6 but I got caught up with work. Will you please let me in?” she asked sincerely, knowing that Tony was probably watching this somewhere inside the apartment. When he did not come to let her in she tried again. “Please, Daddy. I know I messed up. I am going to set an alarm for 5:55 going forward so I know when I need to wrap it up.”

The lock clicked over and the handle turned, opening the door a few inches. Darcy pushed at the door gratefully and shuffled her way inside the spacious apartment. Carefully, she set her things down on the side table and immediately turned to Tony, her face blanching at the serious look on his face. 

“Darcy,” he said seriously, sending a shockwave of guilt through her. Even before he’d settled on calling her babygirl Sunday morning he’d greeted her with a ‘hey, kid’ or a smile at least. “You’ve very naughty today. I didn’t-”

“I’m sorry, Daddy! I just-”

“And now you’re adding interrupting me to the list of grievances? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you want me to punish you.” Darcy only nodded this time, her head bowed in repentance, though her eyes refused to look anywhere but his own. “Can you tell me what you’ve done to deserve punishment today?” 

Darcy thought through the entire day, blushing when she realized how many times she’d toed the line since she’d gotten out of bed that morning. “I talked back to you about breakfast,” she started, “And at lunch.” She considered her afternoon and finished with, “And I was late for our date tonight.”

“You’re forgetting something,” Tony said sternly. 

Darcy’s entire body was flushed by now, heat coursing through her veins in a confusing mixture of shame and arousal. “I,” she stammered as she tried to think of what else she could have done that would have upset him. “I borrowed Dum-E without asking?” she tried. 

“Got it in one.”

“I really am sorry, Daddy,” she said softly. 

Tony’s features softened, “I know you are, babygirl. But that doesn’t mean you can be naughty without being punished for it.” 

“Yes, Daddy. What is my punishment?” 

“Five spankings for each infraction,” he said calmly. “That’ll be twenty in total, and you are to count each one out loud.”

“Okay,” Darcy said softly, fighting a small smile. She’d loved being spanked when he’d done it before so she wasn’t entirely sure how this was a punishment. 

“I don’t think you’re going to enjoy this nearly as much as you think you do,” Tony added as he walked towards his bedroom. “Come with me.” Darcy followed behind him, stopping to slip off her shoes once she got in the room then waiting quietly for further instruction. Tony sat down at the end of the bed and stripped off his shirt. “Take off your clothes and then come stand in front of me,” he commanded, his voice back to the serious tone he had used when she first got there.

Darcy did as she was asked, taking the time to fold her clothes and set them softly on the floor (she’d already gotten a swat for leaving them in the middle of the room once). She came to stand naked before him, shoulders held high through her guilt. Her mother had raised her to take responsibility for her actions without shying away and she’d be damned if she started now. 

"Get on the bed and kneel at my side.” Darcy did as she was told quickly, nervous about what was about to come. “Give me your hands,” he added as he reached out for them. He slowly guided her down across his lap, her ass raised in the air while her arms supported her on the bed. “Okay, babygirl. I know this is your first time being punished like this, so I’m going to explain a few things to you before we get started.”

"Okay, Daddy,” Darcy replied. 

Tony smiled, “Good girl. Now, the first thing you need to know is that punishments are not meant to be enjoyable, they are meant to teach you not to misbehave again in the future. Can you tell me what you did and what your punishment is?”

“Yes, Daddy. I was late to dinner and disrespectful to you throughout the day.”

Tony softened the tone of his voice when he spoke next, “Good girl. Punishment is never the time for groveling, you did well just stating the facts. The other thing you need to know is that you are  _ always  _ allowed to safeword out if you need to.” Darcy breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she’d been holding. “If after we’ve stopped I find out you safeworded without a good reason it  _ will  _ add to your punishments, so don’t even think about it. What are your safewords?”

“Red for stop, yellow for slow down. And…” Darcy trailed off, a little nervous about the safeword she’d come up with on her own. “And if I can’t remember those I will say ‘brussel sprout’.”

Tony huffed out a laugh, “It’s only brussel sprout when you’re in trouble. Good one. Okay, I’m going to start in a minute and I want you to tell me what number I’m on after each spanking.” Darcy nodded and he brought one of his hands down to gently caress the swell of her ass. She moaned softly, already appreciating the feel of his hands on her skin. Before she could get too into it, Tony’s hand lifted and struck her hard just where he’d been gently rubbing seconds before. 

“One,” Darcy moaned out while Tony raised his hand and hit the same spot again. “Two,” she counted out, resisting the urge to moan and arch her hips and giving away how turned on she was. The third and fourth spanking came in quick succession, just as soon as she felt a surge of pleasure she remembered she needed to be keeping count and lost the thread of excitement she’d had before. The more Tony spanked her, the less pleasurable it felt until finally, her moans had turned to soft cries of pain. 

Her arms hurt from supporting herself so she dropped them down to the bed, laying her face in the corner of an elbow. There was another loud smack and though Darcy counted, Tony was unable to hear her through the curtain of her hair. His hand swept it all up and into his fist, holding it out of her way while he spoke. “I didn’t hear that one, I think I have to do it again,” his eyes sparkled. 

“No!” Darcy cried as his hand landed on the reddened spot he kept returning to. “Twelve,” Darcy winced out while Tony took a break from the spanking to gently massage her throbbing cheeks. 

“Let’s see here,” Tony said softly, one hand coming between her legs to lower one of them to the floor so he could spread her wide. He easily stroked up into her tight channel, “So wet already, babygirl. Are you ready for more?” 

The noise Darcy made could never be called beautiful or elegant, a mixture of desire for more and fear of the additional pain. Tony’s hand came down again, this time striking her in the pussy, sending a shock straight through her body. “Oh fuck,” Darcy groaned, “Thirteen,” she added quickly. He switched back to hitting her ass and she found herself reaching towards her back, trying to use her own hand to protect her sore ass. Tony moved it out of the way quickly, striking her again. 

Her hand instinctively reached out again while she counted and Tony began to scold her, “Do you want me to tie your hands up for the rest of these, babygirl?”

“No, Daddy,” she nearly sobbed. 

“Then keep it where it belongs. We’re almost done, you’re doing a great job.”

Darcy was embarrassed at how much she enjoyed his praise, bringing her hand back to rest under her head. The rest of the spankings passed without event and the moment Darcy had sighed out, “Twenty,” Tony was helping her to lay on the bed and moving to lay close to her. 

“You did so good, babygirl. You were perfect,” he whispered into her ear as he gently rubbed her back. “Are you ready for more, or do you need a few minutes?” Darcy took a sharp breath in at his words, her body beginning to tense up once again before Tony realized his poor word choice. 

“Not more punishment, babygirl. No more of that tonight. Remember when I told you I’d always take care of you?” Darcy nodded against the pillow, sniffling some as she answered him. “Well, that doesn’t stop just because you were being punished. I know how wet you are right now and I’d like to help you with that if you’d let me.” Tony continued to soothe her with gentle touches until she felt like she could speak again, She turned her head to face him, smiling faintly at him as she spoke, “Do I have to lay on my back or sit down for whatever it is you have planned next?” 

“You a little sore?” he joked as his hand trailed down to run his fingers over her still-hot flesh. “Stay where you are,” he placed a kiss to her shoulder before leaving the bed, “I’m just going to the closet and then to the bathroom to get you some water.” Darcy nodded, her eyes closed with a soft smile on her face. 

When Tony returned he held a straw to Darcy’s mouth for her to drink from, “Can you get up on your knees for me? Just for a minute,” Tony asked when he took the glass away from her mouth. Darcy complied and he slid a firm, triangular pillow beneath her hips so they were elevated once more. Next, he parted her legs, one hand stopping to rub gentle circles on her red skin. 

He settled himself on his knees between her legs, carefully drawing one hand up between her slit to spread her wetness around, one finger tracing circles lightly around her hardened clit. Darcy felt the bed shift some, then both of Tony’s hands on her ass as he held her opened so he could lick into her. 

Her hips surged back at the contact, desperate for more of his tongue on her sensitive skin. She moaned loudly when the tip of his tongue flicked at her clit, squirming for more when it dropped down to tease gently at her entrance. Tony’s fingers curled into her ass cheeks, squeezing just enough to send a new flair of pain through her, this time she thrilled at the shiver that it sent through her body. 

The sounds she was making grew muffled and Tony glanced up to see her biting the pillow beneath her. He paused, lifting his head over the swell of her ass, “Uh uh, babygirl. I want to hear you when you come. We’ll play around with gags some other time, okay?” 

Darcy couldn’t help but react to his words, thrilling at the image of herself on Tony’s bed, bound and gagged and at his mercy. She was so caught up in the fantasy that she hadn’t noticed Tony lowering himself back down and stopping right at her clit, teasing the side of the nub while two of his fingers entered into her. 

She screamed while pleasure ripped through her body, her legs shaking around Tony while she rode out her orgasm. When she had finished, Tony slowly lowered his tongue and removed his fingers before licking one long, comforting strip from her entrance up to her mound. Darcy shivered at the contact so soon after finishing and when Tony came to lay beside her once more he was pleased to see her blissed out smile. 

“Do you need anything, good girl?” he asked quietly before placing a kiss on her head. Darcy shook her head, arms coming up to curl around her pillow. “Do you want me close up or should I scoot back some?” he checked in with her, smiling when she beckoned him closer to her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the right chapter in the right place this time!

Darcy had been waiting for a time when Tony would be out of the tower for days now. Ever since they began dating she could never be sure when he’d pop into her office to say hello or bring her a coffee (or drag her home at the end of the day, but she was still pretending that didn’t happen). That morning over breakfast Tony had mentioned some meeting he had somewhere outside the tower and Darcy had been not-so-patiently waiting for the knowledge that she was Tony-Free all day. 

Finally, Jarvis chimed in to her office when it was closer to the end of her workday, “Sir has left the building, Miss Lewis.”

Darcy smiled, “Thanks, Jarvis. I appreciate you keeping the lookout for me.”

“It was no trouble, however, I do feel the need to let you know that if Sir wishes, he could find out that I was monitoring him to alert you.”

“I know, but I’m hoping he won’t have a reason to ask you about it.” Darcy took a sip of her coffee and sat back in her chair. “Jarvis? Did you ever get a chance to talk to Tony about what he wanted for Christmas?” 

“I did, Miss Lewis. I am not sure you will be satisfied with the results of the inquiry though. When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said all that he wanted was you.”

Darcy immediately flushed at the statement, “Really? That should make this easy then,” she trailed off in thought.

“Yes, Miss Lewis. I am not sure how helpful I will be, but please let me know if you require further assistance.”

“And risk Tony finding out what my present for him is? No thanks. This girl is shopping in person,  _ in cash _ , for this gift thank you very much.”

* * *

When Jarvis told Darcy what Tony wanted for Christmas she immediately thought of something that was exactly in the price range given for the Secret Santa exchange. She’d seen it a few weeks ago in a joke shop and hadn’t thought anything of it until that day.

She left the tower on foot, happy to take in the sights of the city during the daytime as she strolled towards the joke shop. Before she reached the store she saw a glint of red silk in a window that caught her eye. She glanced up at the sign and when she saw it was a lingerie store another idea popped into her head. She pushed opened the door and stepped inside, eager to see what this store could offer her. 

* * *

“Tony!” Darcy said as soon as he answered his cellphone. “Look, I know we’re supposed to go to that Italian place tonight and I’m to be at your apartment by six, but-”

“I’m not going to like where this is going, am I?” he interrupted her. 

“I don’t know, Tony,” she replied, waiting for a beat to be sure he was done speaking before continuing on. “I went out this afternoon to pick up a few last-minute Christmas gifts. One of the stores took far longer than I had anticipated and I’m on my way back to the tower now, but I may be a few minutes late.”

Tony smiled at her answer, “You were right to call and let me know babygirl. Try not to let it happen again and we’ll spare the punishment for today, okay?”

“Thank you, Tony,” she said softly before hanging up. 

When she reached his apartment fifteen minutes later he was waiting by the door, two drinks in his hand. “So it’s back to Tony now?” he asked her with an eyebrow raised, though he was clearly not upset.

Darcy slipped off her shoes and set her purse down, glad that she’d stopped by her own apartment to drop off her bags and change into fresh clothes. “No, Daddy, but I can explain why.” Tony nodded, waiting for her response, “I was walking around in public and I didn’t want people to hear me call you that. Then they’d  _ know _ .” 

Tony handed her the drink in his hand, “They’d know you had a dad? What’s so bad about that?” he scoffed.

“What 28-year-old woman still calls her father ‘daddy’?” 

“Touche,” he nodded for her to continue.

“I just,” she paused to sip at her drink and collect her thoughts. “I guess I want this thing between us to be private, is all. It feels more special that way.”

Tony nodded, “That’s fair. In public, you will address me as Tony. What about you, baby girl?”

Darcy’s skin flushed with heat at the mention of her own pet name, “Maybe not in public? I mean, I know it’s really only meaningful when you add the ‘Daddy’ quotient, but it still feels like toeing the line for me.”

“Kid?” 

“That one is okay,” she smiled, “If anyone questions it we can just say I like ‘Casablanca’.”

“Okay,” he smiled. “Come on,” he said as he walked towards the living room space. “Our reservation isn’t for another hour, we have time to relax a little.”

* * *

“My Christmas party is this Saturday,” Tony mentioned after sipping at his wine. “I’d like it if you’d let me choose your dress for it.”

“You just want to make us match,” Darcy giggled.

“I just want to make you feel as stunning as I know you are,” he countered. 

Before Darcy could reply their server came with their orders and the conversation was halted, which she was honestly happy about. She had trouble accepting compliments - what was she supposed to say afterward? About halfway through her meal Darcy glanced up and noticed Tony watching her. “Do I have something on my face?” she asked, bringing her napkin up to dab around her mouth. 

“No,” Tony replied. “I was imagining you in a dress of my choosing.” Darcy blushed, her face deepening to nearly match the wine they were drinking. “I like it when you blush like that,” he commented, “But I’m thinking you probably don’t so why don’t we drop the subject for now and talk about it later on when we’re back home.”

“Please,” Darcy said happily before continuing on with her meal. 

Later on, while they walked to Tony’s car Darcy stopped suddenly, pulling Tony around to face her while she stepped up close. “Okay,” she said standing on her tiptoes so she could whisper in his ear. “You can dress me for Saturday night.” 

Tony grinned wide, “I can?”

“Yes,” Darcy replied, leaning up to kiss him on his cheek. “Just no weird themed outfit. I refuse to be sexy Mrs. Clause.”

“Oh, I figured we’d save that for the bedroom,” Tony winked at her while he opened her car door. “While we’re on the subject,” he leaned down into Darcy’s space once she was seated, “Do you think you’ve been naughty or nice today?” Tony took a step back and closed her car door with a soft click, crossing in front to get in the drivers' side. 

“I feel like this is a trick question,” Darcy replied. 

“Ah ah, babygirl, you’re supposed to answer the question I asked you, right?” he said lightly. 

“Naughty, I guess,” she shrugged. 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Tony replied with a glint in his eye. 

Darcy turned in her seat to look at him, “Should I be afraid?” 

“Not at all,” he took a glance at her with a smile. “I figured you made me wait this evening, so I’ll make you wait tonight.”

“What does that even mean?” 

“You’ll find out.”

* * *

It turned out that meant Tony wouldn’t let her have an orgasm until he said so, and he didn’t seem to have any interest in letting her cum anytime soon. 

When they’d reached the penthouse Tony entered right behind her, his hands on her waist to keep her from getting too far. He pulled her body back against him, hands running over her hips already sending shivers down her spine. “I want you to strip for me,” he whispered into her ear. “Okay,” Darcy shimmied her hips in his grasp, “But I’m going to need you to start that zipper for me, Daddy.” The silver zipper glinted in the living room light, the pull resting at the top of her neck with the bottom stop seated right at the beginning of her ass, and she knew from previous experience that getting the top few inches down by herself was nearly impossible. 

“Oh, baby girl, I don’t think so,” Tony teased. “I’ve got to at least see you try before I help you out, it’d be too easy otherwise.”

Darcy was glad he couldn’t see her face when she rolled her eyes at this statement. “Okay,” she stepped forward a few feet then bent down to unbuckle the strap on her heels.

“Uh uh, leave those on,” Tony commanded. 

Darcy faltered, other than the dress her shoes and her undergarments were all she had on. She stayed with her back to him and slowly dragged one hand up the bottom of her dress to pull at her panties. There wasn’t much room for her to maneuver so she knew this had to be one of the least graceful strip teases Tony had gotten in his entire life. Her footing faltered and she caught herself on the back of the couch, “Sorry, Daddy. I know you’ve had better,” she said softly. 

“Nonsense,” Tony replied, his voice tender. “You’re following my instructions so well, it’s everything I wanted.” His eyes never left the swell of her ass as she carefully pulled her panties down her legs and stepped out of them. Next, she managed to shimmy her arms out of her bra straps and he couldn’t wait to see what she’d do to get the full garment off. 

There was no room in Darcy’s dress for her to slip her arms fully inside and pull off the locker-room classic of pulling a bra out from under a shirt, so she finally began to attempt reaching the zipper on her dress. She started by reaching an arm around her back and trying to reach the zipper pull from below. Her fingers kept barely touching it, just never enough to get a good grip. Next, she attempted to try over her shoulder and had just as little luck. Her shoulders hunched up to her ears and she was finally able to grasp the zipper, but she had no way to begin pushing it down her back. She dropped her arms and sighed before casting her gaze around the room. There was nothing there that would suffice for what she needed.

“Daddy?” she asked as she turned to face him. 

“Yes, baby girl?”

“Am I allowed to go to the bedroom?” She knew there would at least be a coat hanger there she could try and loop the zipper onto and pull down from there. 

“Not while you’re still wearing that dress,” Tony commented with a grin. 

“Okay,” Darcy said, one arm reaching behind her once more in a futile attempt to grasp the metal. She bit her bottom lip and tried arching her back until her arm muscle pulled uncomfortably. 

“You want my help with that?” Tony asked as he crowded her space, head ducking down to pull her lip from her teeth with his own. He didn’t wait for a response, letting one hand reach behind her to trail fingers up her ass, her hips, her spine until finally, he reached the top of the dress. He pulled the zipper down slowly as he kissed her, tongue licking into her mouth and marveling at the moans she began making. Just as soon as Darcy began to relax into his embrace he stepped away, zipper pulled a few inches down her back so she was able to reach it. 

Darcy couldn’t help it, she pouted as he stepped away. Her hand reached behind her again, this time easily making contact with the zipper and pulling it down in one quick motion. She stayed facing him as she unhooked her bra and pulled it up and out from under the dress. Now clad only in the loose fabric of the dress and her heels, Darcy felt more secure about what she was doing. She turned around again, this time pushing the fabric of the dress down one arm then another, but still holding it at her hips. She angled her body so he’d get just a glimpse of her pert breast before turning back and beginning to loosen her grasp on the fabric. Before it had even begun to show her ass Tony had reached her, hands coming inside the loose fabric to smooth over her hips and help her push it down. “Sorry,” he whispered breathlessly, “I couldn’t resist.” His fingers trailed lower and lower until one hand was carefully pulling her apart and the other dipping down into her wetness. “Someone likes stripping for me,” he chuckled as his finger slipped easily around her clit. 

“Someone likes watching me strip,” Darcy replied as she pressed herself into the hard line of his erection. 

“It’s like watching a present be unwrapped, can you blame me?” he asked as he moved his hands away from her legs. 

Darcy turned in his arms, “I’ve always preferred doing the unwrapping myself.” Her fingers danced around the top button of Tony’s shirt, nimbly unbuttoning it before moving down to the next one. 

“Who said you could do that?” Tony asked as he pulled her hand away from his shirt. “I’m not finished with you, yet.”

“But, Daddy,” Darcy pouted, “You’re still wearing clothes. We can’t go to the bedroom when you’re still wearing clothes.”

One corner of Tony’s mouth ticked up in a grin, “You’re the one who can’t go into the bedroom with clothes on. I said nothing about me.” His hands were actively tracing the shape of her curves, gently pushing her through the living room as he went. “Why don’t you go take a seat on that chair,” he gestured to a seldom-used leather armchair in the corner of the room. 

“So you can undress?” she asked pleadingly, still standing in front of him. 

Tony raised an eyebrow at her, “Is that doing what I asked you to do?” 

“No, Daddy,” Darcy replied as she made her way to the chair and lowered herself to the seat. 

Tony followed close behind, kneeling down in front of her and pressing her legs apart so he could fit between them. “Good girl,” he purred into her ear. “You deserve a reward.”

“Ooooh, I like rewards,” she grinned. 

“I know you do, baby girl. Now be quiet, no more talking for right now.” He ducked his head down before pulling her legs forward on the seat and settling them to rest on his shoulders. When his tongue parted her slit he felt the back of a heel dig into his back and smiled. One of his hands crept forward, fingers carefully circling her opening without entering. 

Darcy’s lips were pursed to beg for more before she remembered the command he’d issued and clamped them shut. She thrust her hips forward as much as possible instead, hoping he’d get the hint. When he huffed a laugh then blew teasing strokes of air across her clit she knew he’d gotten the message. When he placed one arm firmly across her hips, anchoring them in one spot, she knew what his answer was. 

Still, Darcy struggled against his hold, seeking out more of his touch and moaning loudly when she was finally rewarded with a long lick up her wet pussy. He took a small fold into his mouth, sucking gently before returning to tap a rhythm on her clit, grinning when he heard her desperate moans getting louder and louder. Just as she reached out to grab at his head and keep him stationary he backed away and placed her legs back on the ground. 

She sat up straight in the chair, body flushed and breath coming in pants. “Why did you stop, Daddy?” Darcy whined, “I was so close.”

“I know, baby girl. You made me wait earlier, so I’m making you wait now.”

“How long, though?” her hand was snaking down her body, hopeful that she could slip it past Tony’s notice and rub off anyway. 

Tony caught her before she’d gotten to her belly button. “Do you want me to tie your hands behind your back, ‘cause that’s what’s going to happen if I catch you trying that again.”

“Guess I’ll just have to be sure you don’t catch me then,” Darcy grinned. 

Tony crooked an eyebrow at her before standing up and offering her a hand. “Come on now, baby girl. I’ve got something better you can do with your mouth than sass me.” Darcy followed him down the hallway, slowing to a stop before they reached the bedroom so she could pull him into a kiss. 

“Let me guess, it was that,” Darcy said softly before kissing him again. 

Tony shrugged and took a half step back, “Close but no cigar.” His hands went to the button of his pants, “Get on your knees.” Darcy eagerly complied, kneeling down and helping him to remove his pants, then underwear. 

“Was this the cigar you were talking about?” Darcy asked as she reached a hand up to trail her fingers lightly up his dick. Tony pulled on her hair sharply, a quick reminder that she was being sassy, before he began to unbutton his shirt. Darcy’s hand moved up and down his hard cock, enjoying the feel of it between her palms before she finally leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to the tip of it. 

Her tongue creeped out of her mouth slowly, making one broad lick around the head before pausing to flutter her tongue on the small vein underneath. Tony’s hand was in her hair now, fingers curling into the strands as he quietly urged her to take more of him in. She pushed back against him, removing her mouth completely before leaning in and placing wet open mouth kisses along the length of him. She could hear Tony moan as she wrapped her mouth around him and brought one hand up to play with his balls. 

Her cheeks hollowed out as she moved up his shaft, tongue dragging along his length until she had nearly come completely off. Tony’s fingers tightened in her hair as he pushed her back down until his tip was touching the back of her mouth. 

“That’s it, baby girl,” he moaned as she worked her mouth against him. The grip on her hair changed, Tony’s palm cradling the back of her head as he pulled her back until her tongue was swirling around his tip. “Not yet, hold on,” he gasped out as he made a final tug on Darcy’s hair so his dick bobbed wet and red in front of her face. He reached out a hand to help pull her up from the floor and into a searing kiss. 

Darcy took no shame in grinding herself against him, her hips pushing him forward into the wall while she slipped her tongue into his mouth. When Tony pushed back against her causing her to lose her footing she chuckled, “What’s wrong, Daddy? Are you being punished too?” 

The sound of Tony’s hand moving through the air thrilled her, the sting of the slap on her ass sending a shock straight to her cunt, “You aren’t being punished, and you know it.” He smoothed a palm over her heated skin, “And I know that what I’m holding out for is worth it.” He took a few careful steps down the hallway until Darcy’s back was pressed against his bedroom door. 

“Oooh, does that mean I get to cum soon?” 

Tony chuckled, “Every time you ask you have to wait a little longer.”

“But-”

Tony held a finger up to her mouth, “Shhh, enough for now.” She made a small whining sound in her throat that made him smile. “Come on, baby girl, let’s go to the bed.” He opened the door and pushed her through the threshold into his bedroom, enjoying the sway of Darcy’s hips as she bounded towards the bed and kneeled at the edge of it. “Good girl,” Tony murmured into her ear. 

Darcy hummed in appreciation of the praise. “What’s next?”

“I thought I told you enough with the questions?”

“No,” she held up a finger and pointed it at him, “You told me that if I asked if I could cum you’d make me wait longer, but you said no such thing about questions!”

“Well, let me make myself clear,” he said as he joined her on the bed and laid her down. “No more talking now, I mean it.”

“Anybody want a peanut?” she giggled in response. Tony fought back a smile at her joke, leaning forward and reaching into the drawer of the nightstand. “I mean, really, you couldn’t have expected me to not respond with that. It was right there!” 

He leaned back over her body, this time with a bite gag in his hands. “Sit up,” he commanded softly. When Darcy complied he leaned in and gave her a kiss before placing the gag in her mouth and fastening it behind her head. She closed her mouth around the gag and then tried to speak, only able to make unintelligible muffled sounds. 

“That’s better. Make as much noise as you want, you just can’t sass me now. You okay, baby girl?” he asked just to be sure. Darcy nodded vigorously, the corners of her mouth trying to smile around the silicone bar in her mouth. “That’s my good girl,” he praised her as he leaned down into her personal space, shuffling over so he lay between her legs. A hand moved down her body to part her, fingers teasing at the wetness they found before Tony lined himself up and pressed into her all at once. Darcy keened, head thrashing at the feel of her body stretching to accommodate him. He stayed still for a moment to let her get acclimated before pumping his hips in the quick rhythm he knew Darcy liked best. Her moans kept rising in pitch, her eyes pleading with him as she bucked her hips against him. Tony smiled as he slowed his pace to a near halt, pulling out slowly before pushing back in at the same pace to enjoy every inch of her. 

Darcy’s moans had quieted and taken on a somber tone when she realized Tony wasn’t going to let her finish just yet. “Oh, don’t pout,” Tony smiled as he leaned in to take a nipple in his mouth. “You know I’ll take care of you,” he continued as he tapped her leg so she’d wrap them around his hips. Carefully he pushed off the mattress and turned them over so Darcy was on top of him, something he knew she enjoyed immensely. “That’s it,” he said when he saw her try and smile again. 

She placed her hands on his chest, thumb and forefinger perfectly circling the arc reactor as she used him for leverage to push up and down his hardened cock. Tony’s hands braced her hips to help her keep her balance as she bounced on top of him and worked herself up again in no time. Her hips flexed as she tried to press her clit against him at every downward thrust. Just as she was near peaking, eyes squeezed tight in pleasure while her moans echoed around the room, Tony squeezed her hips and took control of their movement. He slowed her pace and prevented her from grinding herself against him. 

“Not yet,” he whispered, “Not yet, baby girl.” He could feel her squeezing her pussy around his dick while he controlled her movements. Tony enjoyed the slower pace, the softness of Darcy’s body surrounding him as he shifted her body on top of him. He knew he wouldn’t last much longer like this and really he didn’t want to hold out anymore anyway. “Keep doing that,” he commanded as her walls clenched around him. His hips thrust up into her once, twice as he came inside her. 

One of his hands trailed down to her clit, circling it tightly as he was finishing. “Okay, baby girl,” he panted, “Cum for me.” His own orgasm was ending just as Darcy’s was beginning, her body shaking apart above him as he continued to thrust into her while he could. “That’s it,” he encouraged her as he let go of her hip to pinch at her nipples. When her moans began to slow he slipped out of her, chuckling as she pouted at him. 

“None of that if you want to cum again,” he lightly scolded her as he pulled her down to his chest and rolled them over. At his words Darcy perked up again, her legs spreading eagerly. “Greedy, aren’t you?” he stroked a hand into her folds smearing his own fluids around with hers as two of his fingers pushed into her channel. He found the rough spot near the back and tapped at it while he sucked a nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the stiff peak. The moans coming from Darcy were lower and slower, but no less eager than before. Her second orgasm built up slowly, the pleasure mounting until it bubbled over and made her shake beneath him.

Tony pulled his fingers from between her legs, wiping them off on his thigh as he lay on his back and pulled her over so she was splayed across his chest. One of his hands rubbed at her back softly while the other moved to the buckle of the gag she still wore. “Was that worth the wait, baby girl?” he asked once she was free of the device. He was surprised to find she stayed silent, choosing instead to nod against his chest. “Good, I’m glad,” he smiled. 


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning Tony woke up early and greeted Darcy with a cup of coffee in bed. “Morning, sunshine,” he smiled as he curled himself around her back and pressed a kiss to her neck. “Rise and shine,” Darcy grumbled and turned over to tuck herself into Tony’s embrace, grumbling something that Tony could only assume was a protest. “Alright, baby girl,” he whispered into the top of her head, “I’ve got to go the labs for a bit today. Call me when you wake up.”

Tony moved to shuffle out of Darcy’s embrace, carefully unwinding her arms from around his waist as he got out of the bed. “Jarvis, you know what to do.” The shading on the windows in the room darkened and there was the faint sound of a river flowing echoing throughout the room. He closed the door quietly behind him and made his way to the labs with a smile on his face. 

When Darcy woke up a few hours later she rolled over in the bed looking for Tony almost immediately. “Jarvis?” she asked, cracking her eyes opened slowly. 

“Sir is in the labs and has asked that you call him when you wake. Would you like me to put you through to him?” 

“Sure, J,” Darcy mumbled as she sat up in bed. The windows were brightening slowly as Tony’s face popped into view on the pad resting on the bedside table. “Jarvis,” she protested, “Turn off the sun. Too early.” The room darkened by degrees as she picked up the device and rested it on her knees. 

“There’s my sleepyhead,” Tony smiled at her. “How are you doing?” Darcy mumbled in response, her words completely unintelligible but Tony knew well enough by now. “There’s coffee in a thermos beside you.” He chuckled when he saw the corners of Darcy’s lips tick up, half a semblance of a smile. “Listen,” he continued, “I’ve gotta be down here for a few more hours. You’re welcome to hang out there if you want. I’ll be sending something up for you to wear tonight around 3 and I expect you to be back and ready at 6, okay?” Darcy nodded in agreement as she took a tentative sip of the coffee. When Tony not-so-subtly cleared his throat she spoke up, “ready and here at 6.” 

Tony grinned, “Good girl. I’ll see you later!” The line disconnected and Darcy was left blissfully alone with a large thermos of coffee and no plans for her day. When she’d had half of the coffee she spoke up again, “Okay, Jarvis. You can turn the sun back on now.” She smiled to herself as the windows brightened to let more light in. “I’ve gotta get you in my apartment, J. This is too nice.”

* * *

“Knock knock,” Jane said as she entered Darcy’s apartment with a greasy brown bag. “Someone request Real Talk with Donuts?” 

“I’m in here!” Darcy called from her bedroom. When Jane entered her room she joined Darcy on the bed and passed her the bag. “Thanks for coming, Janie.”

Jane gave her a wry look, “When have I not come for you? Anyway, I haven’t seen you in days! I’ve missed you.”

“Oof, sorry I’ve been neglecting you, Jane,” Darcy said as she grabbed a donut from the bag. “I’ve been in Tonyland and I need a reality check.”

“You haven’t been neglecting me, but go on. Tell me everything.”

Darcy sighed, “I haven’t slept in my own bed in twelve days.” She waited on Jane’s reaction and startled when she didn’t have much of one. “I woke up this morning and he had gone to the labs and left me to hang out at his place alone like it was no big deal. I didn’t even think it was weird until I remembered I didn’t have my good lounging pants with me and I’d have to come here to get them.”

“Right, lounging pants are critical. But Darce, this is hardly the first time you’ve started dating someone and jumped right into a relationship. Why are you suddenly so concerned?”

“My track record has not been great, Jane, and you know it.”

“Oh please,” Jane rolled her eyes, “Like you’re going to have to worry about paying for all of Tony’s medical bills like you did with Chris. Or go to every bar in a four-block radius to look for him like Joey. Or Matt! You had to clean, cook, and do his laundry!”

“My point exactly, Jane, thank you! I fall into these relationships, deluded by rose-colored glasses, and then I end up taking care of them for years, picking up the pieces and feeling responsible for them because they don’t know how to take care of themselves.”

Jane pursed her lips, “Do you really think you’d have to worry about that with Tony? He got by just fine without you all by himself for - shit how much older than he is you anyway?” 

Darcy waved her hand to dismiss the question, not even wanting to bring age into her argument yet. “Right. Tony can, and does, take care of himself. As well as every single person he cares about. To an immense degree.” Jane stayed silent so Darcy continued to speak, “What if I get too used to that? What if little by little he knocks down my walls and suddenly I’m the one dependent on him?”

“You’ve dated rich guys before and that’s never been an issue,” Jane pointed out wisely. Darcy started to chew on her bottom lip as she thought of a response. “Darcy, you’re chewing your lip. Stop trying to decide how to talk to me and just do it already. What’s different about Tony that’s making you anxious?”

Darcy sighed heavily, “Uh, okay. So.” She stopped and started a few times before finally slumping her shoulders and admitting, “Tony wants to take care of me. Not just like, my groceries and shit. He wants to take care of  _ me _ .”

Jane stared blankly at her friend, “I don’t understand what the problem is? Let someone else take the reigns for once, Darcy. You owe yourself a break.” When Darcy stayed silent she added, “What am I not seeing in this picture, because it’s clear I’m missing something.”

“You can’t tell anyone about this, Janie. I mean it. Not even Thor.” Jane nodded in agreement, sticking out her pinky to shake on it before Darcy continued. “Tony is pretty kinky. Like, taking care of me is part of his kink, type kinky.”

“So, what, he always makes sure you finish when you’re boning? I don’t see how that’s an issue, most women would kill for that.”

“No! I mean, yes, that. But also like…He’s choosing my outfit for the party tonight. I don’t know what it is yet, he’s supposed to send something up this afternoon. And we like to, uh, play, I guess? Like, he tells me what I can and cannot do when we’re together in his penthouse, or gives me a few rules I have to follow if we’re going out in public.”

Jane stalled while she took all of the information in. “Do you enjoy it?” When Darcy nodded she continued, “He’s not taking advantage of you?”

“No! God no.”

“Okay, so we’re back to where we were before. I don’t know why you are concerned here, you’ve always maintained your independence throughout your other relationships.”

“Yeah, but none of my exes wanted to have so much authority over me.”

“Hold up, you can safeword out of these things, right? If he gives you rules before going out you have a chance to argue against them?” Darcy nodded, “Then from where I’m standing it certainly looks like you have the bulk of the authority here, Darce. You can stop it at any time, you’re just letting Tony have control because he likes it.”

Darcy sighed, “You’re not wrong.”

“Was that the reality check you needed? Or do I need to tell you that you’re allowed to really like Tony and spend a lot of time with him? You’re not the person you were when you had those awful relationships before, you’re so much stronger? You and I both know that Mama Lewis would smack you upside your head if she thought you’d become dependant on a man?” 

“You got that right,” Darcy rolled her eyes. 

“Great, then finish your donut and let's go to the living room to binge-watch 80s teen movies while we wait for Tony’s package to arrive.”

“You sure?”

“Darce, if you think I’m going to miss seeing what he’s chosen for you, you’ve got another thing coming.”


	13. Chapter 13

Darcy opened the door to Tony’s penthouse fully dressed and ready for the party, although the shoes he had sent for her to wear hung in her fingers, her feet adorned with a ratty pair of Converse instead. “I thought I told you no impossibly high heels,” she said when she saw Tony standing at the small bar. 

“Actually,” Tony replied, taking a sip of his cocktail before continuing, “You told me to ‘make sure they’re realistic unless you want me dependent on your arm for balance all night’.”

“Are you seriously calling these heels realistic?” Darcy asked as she held the five-inch stilettos in the air.

“Are you seriously missing the point of those shoes?” Tony said, mocking her gently as he handed her a drink. “Lots of free-roaming mistletoe at the party tonight. This way nobody gets to kiss you under it but me,” he winked. 

Darcy’s eyes sparkled as she thought about her night ahead and sipped her drink. “Okay, Daddy,” she grinned up at him, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. “But do I have to wear them here, too? I think there’s only so much my feet will be able to take. The last time I wore anything close to this high was before I was even legal to drink.”

Tony took the heels from her hand and set them on a side table, “No, baby girl. You can keep your sneakers on for now. We don’t have to be up in the ballroom for another hour or so.” 

They passed the time in the living room, sipping on old fashioneds until Tony stood from the couch and made his way to the side table to retrieve her shoes. He sat back down and pulled her legs into his lap and took off her sneakers, his thumb rubbing a tender line up the archway of one foot first, then the other. “It’s about time to go, baby girl,” he said softly, “You ready to get these on?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Darcy smiled at him. 

Slowly, he slipped one of the heels onto her foot, pausing to help her heel into the back before moving to put the other shoe on. Darcy pulled her legs back in front of her, laughing nervously at how much her knees stuck up now that she was wearing the ridiculous shoes. “C’mon, kid,” Tony said, standing and offering her hand. 

She stood up carefully, releasing Tony’s hand to test walking in them. After a few stumbling steps she seemed to settle into the height, once wobbling steps become more steady and sure. “Still got it,” she grinned at Tony. “You ready?” 

Tony took her arm and walked with her to the elevator. The curve-hugging red velvet dress he’d selected for her looked stunning, the diamond-encrusted snowflake necklace he’d paired with it sparkling just a tiny bit more than her eyes when she smiled. To say they made an entrance when they walked into the ballroom would have been an understatement. They had not been hiding the fact that they were dating, but they hadn’t been flaunting it either. Tony was sure to cast any doubts aside by pulling her close and kissing her deeply almost as soon as they’d entered. 

“Mistletoe,” Tony winked as he gestured to the air just above their heads where a miniature drone with a bundle of leaves tied to it was hovering. Darcy glanced around the top of the room and saw at least a dozen more of the drones buzzing about. 

“I see what you meant by ‘free-roaming mistletoe’,” she laughed. 

* * *

Tony kept his word, keeping Darcy’s hand carefully tucked in his elbow for support as they moved about the room to greet everyone. “Jesus, did you have to invite so many people?” Darcy groaned as they made their way to the next guest. “I was hoping to post up on a bar stool by now but we haven’t covered half the room!”

“Smile and say shit through your teeth, kid,” Tony replied quietly as Natasha approached them. “Miss Romanoff, you look beautiful, as always.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Natasha smiled. “Hello, Darcy,” she added, angling her body to face the other woman. “I am glad to see you are making your relationship public. I can keep a secret, but I think Sam was beginning to have suspicions and he’s a terrible gossip.”

Darcy did her best to maintain a neutral face as she learned that the spy had known about them but kept it quiet. “Well, we just wanted to make sure Sam had something to talk about,” she smiled. 

“Oh, Darcy,” Natasha exclaimed, “Your drink is empty, come with me to the bar and we’ll get you a refill.” 

Darcy glanced down at her empty glass, startled to realize that there was nothing left but ice. She looked up to Tony, hopeful that he could save her from spending time with a woman who could probably tell if she was lying just by watching the way she breathed, but Rhodey had gotten his attention with a request of modification on his armor. “O-okay,” Darcy replied as she slipped her hand from Tony’s elbow and followed Natasha across the room. 

“So, Darcy,” Natasha asked once they were out of Tony’s earshot, “How long have the two of you been seeing one another?”

“You don’t know already? I thought you knew everything,” Darcy replied automatically. “I mean, shit, sorry, I have just about no filter after a drink or two.”

“Not to worry,” the spy smiled, “I’ve been told I have a tendency to make people nervous.”

“Well, whoever said that knew what they were talking about.” They had reached the bar and Darcy signaled for another drink as she finished replying, “I guess we’ve been together for about two weeks now.”

Natasha nodded, “As I suspected, but it’s nice to have firm confirmation. I’m curious, though, how much of your relationship with him is just for show?”

Darcy arched her eyebrows, surprised at the question. “None of it?!”

Natasha took a slow sip of her own drink, “You have to admit, a college grad who was raised by a single mom and has been seen making eyes at one of the richest men in the world, very suddenly it seems, becomes involved with said billionaire does have the potential for a juicy story.”

Darcy straightened her stance, “Excuse me, I think you’re forgetting my masters degree and the fact that I am the head of the charitable arm of the Avengers, which is no small feat and certainly no small paycheck. Sure, Tony’s got money, but I have no interest in that and the fact that you would even question it is frankly insulting.”

“Good,” Natasha grinned, “You have a backbone, you’ll do him well.”

“Thanks?” Darcy said, a little shocked at the turn in the Widow’s temperament to friendly. “I wasn’t aware that was in question.”

“I’ve seen him get his heart broken before and none of us here are prepared for another bout of that madness,” Natasha said, doing her best to explain away her inquisitive behavior. She picked up her drink, “Come on, let’s get you back to your date.”

Darcy had no qualms with that, having Tony at her side gave her more confidence than she’d like to admit. She met his eye over the crowd of people between them and smiled as she began to walk his way. Halfway across the edge of the dancefloor, she was stopped by a friendly tap on her shoulder. 

“Not so fast, Darcy, you think you could get by without saying hi to me?” Clint asked as she turned to face him. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed, grateful to meet his friendly eyes. “Clint! I didn’t see you there. Natasha was,” she cast her eyes over her shoulder to find the spy had disappeared in the crowd, “Well, she had been with me but I guess she’s found someone else to interrogate.”

“Awww, Tash, no!”

Darcy chuckled as she leaned into Clint for a hug, “It wasn’t that bad. I just didn’t realize she was so protective of Tony, is all.”

“This team’s the only family she’s got,” he explained as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “She’s careful about who she lets into her fold.”

“Should I be concerned?” Darcy asked, stepping back but keeping one hand firmly on Clint’s arm. 

“Nah,” Clint shrugged, “If she had any concerns she would have let me know just now.” When Darcy tilted her head in confusion he added, “Spy tricks, can’t go spilling trade secrets.”

“Uh-huh,” she laughed, “Sure.” The music began to swell as the band started another song, “Oh, this is my favorite Christmas song! Let’s dance!” Her grip on Clint’s arm changed so she was pulling him onto the dance floor behind them. 

Clint shrugged taking her drink from her hand and setting it on the table behind him before joining her on the floor. “You sure Tony will be okay with this?” he asked as he placed his hands lightly on her hips.

“Mmmhmm,” Darcy hummed as she swayed to the song, her fingers laced together behind Clint’s neck. “No rules against dancing, just shouldn’t get caught under the mistletoe with anyone but him.”

“Uh, Darce?” Clint tilted his head up to the space above them where a small drone was hovering. The eyes of the couples around them on the floor were beginning to turn their way to see what would happen, and Darcy could hear voices beginning to mutter questions about how close she was to Clint already. 

“Shit,” she muttered. “Got any ideas?” 

“Follow my lead,” Clint said, suddenly sure of himself. He took one of her hands in his, stepping back and lifting his arm to let Darcy twirl in front of him. When she’d completed a rotation he took a short bow and kissed her knuckles before releasing her hand. “I believe your date has come to your rescue.”

Sure enough, Tony had stepped up beside Clint to take Darcy from him. “Thanks, birdbrains,” he smiled as Darcy blushed. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW! I POSTED CHAPTER 13 TODAY, TOO. 
> 
> Have you read chapter 13? Proceed. Have you not read chapter 13? GO BACK A CHAPTER!!!

Late into the party Tony placed a hand on the small of Darcy’s back and steered her towards the dance floor. “You know,” he said as he pulled her into his embrace, “I didn’t think I’d have to tell you not to dance with anyone else tonight.” 

“Well, I didn’t think you would leave me alone with super spies, but the night has been full of surprises, hasn’t it?” Darcy’s voice was low and slow, the drinks she’d been sipping on all night bringing out the slow southern drawl she’d left behind years ago.

Tony’s hands slipped further around her back, fingers just brushing over the top of her ass. When Darcy’s hands began to curl into the hair at the nape of his neck he smiled down at her, “You trying to start something on the dance floor, kid?”

Darcy leaned up to press her lips to his in a quick but passionate kiss. “You’re the one who started it, what with that entrance earlier tonight. You only have yourself to blame for my hormones going a little wild.”

“Uh-huh,” Tony replied, “And it has absolutely nothing to do with the bourbon you’ve been sipping on.”

“What bourbon?” Darcy laughed. She placed her hands flat on the tops of his shoulders and slowly dragged them down his chest as if to emphasize how free her hands were. “I don’t see any bourbon.”

Tony dipped his head and kissed her again, his tongue licking softly at her lips before he pulled away. “You may not see any, but I can sure taste it,” he winked. 

As the song ended Darcy cast her gaze around the ballroom to see how many guests remained. “How much longer do we have to stay?” she yawned as she walked with Tony back to the edge of the dance floor. 

Tony checked his watch, “I suppose it is getting a little late for you, isn’t it, pumpkin.” Darcy’s nose wrinkled up in precisely the manner Tony had been hoping it would and he grinned at her reaction. 

“I’m not a stagecoach, Da-Tony,” she caught herself at the last minute, quickly looking around to ensure no one had been in their earshot. 

Tony recognized the slip for what it was almost immediately, the alcohol and the late-night combining to completely obliterate what little filter Darcy usually had. “No, you’re so much more than that. Still, I’d hate for our guests to see your dress turn into a nightgown.” He caught Steve’s eye over the heads of the crowd and gestured towards where Darcy was leaning against him, her eyes already closing, before nodding towards the door. “Okay, Darce. Steve’s going to take over hosting duties so we can get you home. You ready?”

“Mmhmm,” Darcy nodded, stepping away from Tony’s embrace so they could begin their walk to the elevator. The moment the doors had closed behind them, Darcy stepped back into the warmth of Tony’s arms, confident that she would not have to leave them again anytime soon. 

* * *

The days passed quickly for the tower inhabitants, a last-minute assemble was called to take down some of Dr. Dooms Christmas-themed robots (“Carol of the Bells” would never be the same for anyone involved in that incident), the big Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the lobby that was put on by Darcy’s charity, and finally the Avengers Secret Santa party on Christmas Eve. Darcy was glad to be able to unwind a little before their official Christmas break started.

“That was more enjoyable than I thought it would be,” Darcy beamed as she took a long sip out of her new cup, her eyes focused in on the crazy straw Clint had gotten her that spelled out her name in a color-changing rainbow. “Yeah?” Tony huffed as he leaned back against the elevator rail, the bag in his hand knocking against the wall and sending a small cloud of black dust into the air. “Sure that’s not whatever Clint put in that cup?”

“My straw?!” Darcy grinned, “That definitely has something to do with it. Do you know how hard it was to find anything that said ‘Darcy’ as a kid? I’ve always wanted one of these.”

Tony couldn’t help but grin, “That’s not quite what I meant, but sure, we’ll go with it, kid.” When they reached the inside of the penthouse Darcy crossed the room to the bar quickly, pulling the lid of her cup off and topping it off with water. “That can’t taste good,” Tony wrinkled his nose as he carefully set down his bag so as not to jostle the contents again.

“What?” Darcy smiled, “Water mixed with water?” Tony raised an eyebrow at her and she spoke again, “What? I maybe had plans for the night that were more important than getting drunk with the team.”

Tony moved closer to her and moved the large straw towards his lips to take a sip himself. He was surprised to find that it was water, he had been almost certain Darcy’s gleeful mood over the past hour was due to alcohol and not just the ‘Christmas spirit’ as she had claimed. “Tell me, do these plans have anything to do with the bag of coal I received from my secret Santa this evening?” 

“Maybe,” Darcy grinned from over her shoulder as she sauntered down the hall to Tony’s room. 

“Because I thought coal was only given to naughty people,” he teased as he followed her. 

“Yep,” Darcy confirmed as she sat down on the bed. 

“So why would a good girl want to give her Daddy coal in front of a room of their peers?” he asked, stalking slowly towards the bed. Darcy shrugged and giggled. “It couldn’t be that she wanted to make her Daddy mad could it?” Her cheeks pinked at the accusation and Tony smiled knowing he was on to something. “Or that she wanted to be punished?” 

She bit her lip as she smiled up at him, “I don’t know.” 

Tony reached for her hand and pulled her off of the bed to stand in front of him. His hands came to her shoulders before ghosting down her back, his head leaning towards hers for a kiss before darting quickly to the side and whispering in her ear, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Am I?” Darcy asked cheekily. Tony’s hand left her body with lightning speed, coming back down to swat hard at her backside. His demeanor had changed, there was still laughter in his eyes from their banter, but the firm set of his mouth told Darcy that he had left the party persona behind and was getting into the mindset she wanted. 

“You know you are, baby girl. Don’t get cute with me,” his hands were at the back of her dress now, carefully unzipping it and helping her to step out of the fabric. 

“But I thought you liked it when I was cute?” This time the swat on her ass came down on her newly uncovered skin and Darcy was nearly certain if she checked a mirror there would be a handprint left behind. 

“It’s funny,” Tony continued to speak as he pulled her underwear down her legs and helped position her on the bed just how he wanted, “I thought this was supposed to be a present for me, not for you.” He saw her head turn back towards him and spoke quickly, “Uh uh, no more sass from you.” 

He pulled back his hand again and gave her another three swats all in a row. “Spread your legs,” he said as his fingers dipped into her slit to feel at the wetness that had gathered there. “Already so wet and ready for me, aren’t you?” When Darcy nodded in response, he added, “Well that’s just too bad, now, isn’t it?” 

“Why is that, Daddy?” Darcy asked as she looked over her shoulder at him. 

“You’re the one who wanted to be punished, you just assumed you knew how I’d do it.” He grinned widely, “I won’t be touching you for the rest of the night, and if you even think about getting yourself off I’ll add tomorrow, too.”

Darcy groaned in frustration and opened her mouth to complain, but Tony cut her off. “If you don’t whine about it, I’ll make the wait worth your while tomorrow.” When he winked at her, Darcy knew that whatever torture she went through tonight, it would make the next day all the more pleasurable.

* * *

“Daddy?” Darcy whispered softly in Tony’s ear as she stretched a leg over his waist. She waited until she felt his cock coming to attention beneath her thigh before adding, “It’s Christmas morning, time for presents!” Tony groaned in response, one arm shifting beneath her to wrap around her waist and maneuver her so she was straddling him. “Let’s get something straight here, babygirl. The only reason you’re getting away with this is because of how great your pussy feels rubbing against me right now.”

Darcy grinned, “Well, it is tomorrow now, and I’ve really wanted to feel you against me since last night.” When Tony just grumbled in response she added, “Aww, don’t be grumpy.” She pouted as she canted her hips against him. “There’s already coffee brewing and I have a surprise for you later.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth lifted in a semblance of a smile, “babygirl, nothing you surprise me with could be better than what you’re doing right now.”

Tony hadn’t seen the mischievous look in Darcy’s eye before and he grinned when she challenged him, “Just you wait.” She raised her body up to be in the perfect position to sink down onto his hard shaft. Just when she started to lower herself she changed direction and launched herself off of the bed. 

“Hey!” Tony called after her in annoyance, “Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Christmas!!” was all he got in response to his question so he grumbled as he got out of bed and slipped on his most comfortable robe so he could begin his day. When he joined Darcy in the living room a few moments later he was surprised to find she was dressed in a tiny, sparkly, Mrs. Clause costume complete with a corset and a thick black leather belt with a shiny buckle. 

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Clause!” Darcy greeted him with enthusiasm as she brought him a cup of coffee and placed a Santa hat on his head. 

“And what makes this Christmas so merry, babygirl?” Tony admired her outfit as she bent over to retrieve a gift from under the Christmas tree. 

When Darcy turned around she noted the way his eyes had darkened and had begun to focus on her chest. “Me, of course! It’s the best day of the year. We don’t have to work, we can lay around in pajamas all day, I get presents,  _ and  _ I get to give presents. Those are two of my favorite things you know?” 

“I didn’t know we were calling ejaculation presents now,” Tony winked, “but I can live with that.” He accepted the small gift box from Darcy and tore the wrapping paper off of it, laughing out loud when he saw the coffee mug emblazoned with ‘Worlds Greatest Daddy’. “Go and get the green package,” Tony gestured to the tree, “Then come and sit with me.”

“But that’s not your only present, it’s just the warm-up.”

Tony smiled, “You can give me another present after you open what I got you, I promise.”

Darcy nodded and collected the box before snuggling into Tony’s side to open it. She tore the thick wrapping paper off of the box and lifted the lid, an excited grin across her face. Inside she was met with two more boxes. 

“Open this one first,” Tony suggested as he lifted one out of the container. 

Darcy took the box carefully from him and shrieked when she saw the contents. “What did you do?!” An iPod was resting inside the box, but it was too pristine to be hers, the screen had no scratches or cracks on it and when she turned it over, the prized signature was missing. 

“Turn it on,” Tony suggested as he took the empty box from her lap. When the machine lit up Darcy breathed a sigh of relief as she saw her entire music library loaded correctly. “I just replaced the body of it for you. It’s a stronger case now, the screen is scratch and crack resistant and the inside is rubberized to protect the mechanics when you inevitably drop it.”

Darcy smiled at him apprehensively, “That was very thoughtful of you.”

“Go on,” Tony urged, his own excitement becoming evident on his face. “Open the next box.” 

She set the iPod aside and lifted the second lid, beaming at Tony as she saw what rested inside. “You’re kidding me, Tony. It’s too much!” 

Tony laughed, “Nothing is too much for me, baby girl. You’re the one who pointed out how priceless that signature was, I just wanted to make sure it was well preserved for you.” The back of her iPod, signature of her favorite musician still intact, lay framed in a museum grade shadow box alongside the ticket stub from the concert she’d gotten the signature at. 

“How did you know what show it was?” she asked as she ran her fingers over the glass. 

“Do you even know how much you post on social media? It’s like a novel of your entire life from 18 until now,” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Touche,” Darcy grinned. “Oh, Tony, I love it. This is too perfect, now I feel silly about my gifts to you.”

“Don’t,” Tony said, not-quite-a command. “I can’t wait for Bruce to see this mug, the look on his face is going to be great. 

“Not as great as the retort you’ll come up with if he ever decides to ask you about it.” 

“Exactly,” Tony grinned. “So why don’t you go ahead and give me your other present?” His hand drifted from her shoulder down to the fur trim of the corset she wore, “Though I think this outfit is a good enough gift on its own.”

Darcy giggled and stood up from the couch, taking a slow twirl in front of him. She stopped with her back to him and slowly began to remove the belt she was wearing with the outfit. She turned then, folding the belt in half in her hands as she knelt on the ground before him, raising the belt in offering.

“What’s this?” Tony asked as he took the belt from her hands. 

“Well, I thought maybe it was something we could try out,” Darcy offered nervously. “Seeing as I like being spanked so much?” 

Tony grinned, “You surprise me every day, baby girl.” 

“Really?” Darcy beamed, “you don’t think it’s stupid?” 

“Hardly,” he scoffed as he pulled her up from her knees. “It does make me happy I didn’t punish you like you wanted last night, though. It just means I can have more fun today.”

Darcy shivered in anticipation, “That’s good, Daddy. It fits right in with my last present.” 

Tony couldn’t help but notice the blush that crept over her cheeks. He brushed a thumb across one of them, “What’s that?” 

“Well,” Darcy bit her bottom lip, “I asked Jarvis what I should get for you. He didn’t have any suggestions, he just said that all you wanted was me.”

Tony groaned as he pulled Darcy onto his lap. “How are you able to get my own AI to work against me?” Darcy’s head cocked to the side, hoping Tony would provide her with more information. “Jarvis play the video of our conversation during my recent quarantine.” A video popped up on the television as they turned their attention to see the scene. When Tony asked Jarvis to play the top modern Christmas song, Darcy hung her head and groaned. 

“What? Daddy, that song is so old!”

“How can you consider Mariah Carey’s hit Christmas song old?” Tony grimaced.

“I was five when it came out?” Darcy offered.

“Oh God, don’t remind me how young you are.”

Darcy’s eyes sparkled, “Okay, Daddy.” 

Tony’s jaw dropped, “Alright, that’s it,” he grinned while he stood from the couch and maneuvered Darcy over his shoulder. “Someone’s in for it,” he picked up the belt and gave her a light tap on the ass. 

Darcy laughed, her legs kicking in the air as he walked them down the hall to the bedroom, “Best Christmas ever!” 


End file.
